Report on Upcycling Round Three Shanghai,

April 10th - 20th 2014

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The third round of the Internationalising Higher Education Collaboration on Upcycling Design of Industry

Leftovers took place at Tongji University, Shanghai in April 2014, building on the successes of the first two

rounds in Guangzhou and Changsha in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Around 40 students and staff from 5

UK universities and 7 Chinese universities worked together for 10 days in mixed teams in a workshop

environment to design a series of marketable design products from industrial leftovers. Fundamentally, this

event has helped to consolidate Sino-UK institutional links and academia-industry links initiated in China.

The objectives of the collaboration project were as follows:

1. Students and Staff: By working together, students from the UK and China can develop their

language skills and team spirit and improve intercultural cooperation. They will also have a

platform to demonstrate their creativity and help improve their employability.

2. Universities: Institutional links will be established and nurtured as the result of the cooperation

activities. Additionally, by working with industry, universities curriculum will become more practical.

3. Enterprise and Industry: Enterprises can benefit from discovering environmental-friendly and

energy-efficient ways to recycle or upcycle their industry leftovers.

One of the key outcomes of this event has been the successful collaboration between the upcycling design

programme and the local Liangcheng community, a subdistrict of northern Shanghai. The community

provided a practical context for the workshop by presenting issues in their community that the upcycled

products might address, which turned out to be a great success. A total of 13 collections of products were

designed and produced over the 10-day workshop, all of which can be viewed on this website:

http://www.upcyclemaster.com/. The event, in its third year, has achieved great impact and legacy through

the establishment and enhancement of several concrete institutional links and academia-industry links:

Sustainable Partnerships with Government and Society

1. Strong Support from Chinese Central Government: The event was able to secure strong and direct

support from the Chinese Ministry of Education, with the signing of a three-year MoU at the UK-

China Education Summit on the occasion of the high level People to People Dialogue. The MoE is

committed to providing funding and support to subsequent upcycling events over the next three

years.

2. Inspirational Involvement of Liangcheng Community in Shanghai: A standout achievement of the

event was the successful integration of the upcycling design programme with the local Liangcheng

community. The community provided a practical context for students to focus their design skills and

creativity by solving real world problems, such as pets’ waste, kitchen waste etc.

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Institutional Partnerships between UK and China:

1. Students Exchange Programme: The University of Central Lancashire and Hunan University have

agreed to establish a Student Exchange Programme

2. Academic Publication: The University of Lincoln has established a good partnership with Tsinghua

University in joint academic publication.

3. Visiting Fellow Scheme between Tsinghua University and University of Lincoln: David Bramston,

Programme Leader MA International Design Enterprise from Lincoln, has been invited to teach a

design course at Tsinghua University

4. Other Joint Programme Intentions: Jiangnan University has indicated a strong interest in setting up

undergraduate joint degree programmes with UK universities. Jiangnan is now identifying an

appropriate UK counterpart to develop this programme. Hunan University also wants to establish

joint programmes and has already presented a proposal to UK universities.

Partnerships between Academia and Industry:

1. “100 Lights” Project: The University of Lincoln has reached an agreement on a collaborative project

with Guangzhou Valuda Group entitled “100 Lights”, where the University of Lincoln will work with

Valuda to create a collection of 100 different lights, to be professionally manufactured for retail.

2. Development towards Commercialisation: a professional website is being developed for the

Upcycling project: http://www.upcyclemaster.com/ where all the design products created by the

students will be exhibited online with the aim of seeking commercialisation opportunities (the

English version is being developed). Eventually, products displayed on this website will be

available for online purchase. The website is in the process of being linked with a similar, well-

established UK website www.co-oproduct.org to increase international impact.

All the products designed by the students are now exhibited on the website:

http://www.upcyclemaster.com/ This upcycling collaboration project comes under the Knowledge

Economy Partnership strand of the British Council’s Internationalising Higher Education programme, a

global initiative aimed at providing a platform and framework for the creation of sustainable, multilateral

partnerships that link the higher education sector, government and business communities together, to drive

forward global, regional and national knowledge economies.

II. ORGANISORS AND CONTRIBUTORS:

Government Support Organisation:

Chinese Ministry of Education

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Organisors:

British Council China

Tongji University, College of Design and Innovation

Guangzhou Low Carbon Industry Association

Guangzhou Valuda Group Co., Ltd.

Business Partners:

EMG.ART

Guangzhou Upcycle Low Carbon Technology Co .Ltd

III. PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES:

Chinese Universities:

1. Tongji University

2. Hunan University

3. Tsinghua University

4. Jiangnan University

5. China Academy of Art

6. Central Academy of Art

7. Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts

UK Universities:

1. Central Saint Martin’s College, University of Arts, London

2. University of Central Lancashire

3. University of Lincoln

4. Loughborough University

5. Nottingham Trent University

IV. ACTIVITIES:

Visits to Liangcheng Community: Students and teachers paid visits to the community of Liangcheng on

10 and 13 April 2014, where they were able to interact with local residents and community managers,

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learning about a range of problems the community had been experiencing, such as stray cats and dogs,

animal waste, etc. The students and teachers also collected some abandoned furniture, old clothes and

other materials..

Opening Ceremony and Briefing Session: The event’s Opening Ceremony was held at Tongji University

on 10 April 2014. Professor Wu Zhiqiang, Vice President of Tongji Univeristy, shared words of

encouragement with the students about to take part in the activity. Ms Gao Xiang, Deputy Director of

Hongkou District People’s Government made a speech pledging surpport on behalf of the local

government.

Design Workshop from 11 to 19 April 2014: The design workshop at Tongji University took place over

nine days, the 13 international teams working closely together to design and produce products from a

range of industrial leftovers allocated to each team. These included common items such as PVC pipes,

plastic wares, bags and ‘organic’ or acrylic glass.

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Awards and Signing Ceremony, 20 April 2014: At the close of the design workshop period, each of the

13 teams got the chance to present their products to the judging panel and explain the design philosophy

behind them, There were ten different categories of awards, including ‘Most Commercial Product, ‘Best

Use of Materials’ and ‘Best Community Application’.

Mr. Yang Xiaochun, Director of the European Division of the Department of International Co-operation and

Exchanges, Ministry of Education, wrote highly of the project’s value and the benefits it has brought to

students, teachers, and Higher Education institutions in both the UK and China. With his strong support

and facilitation, a new 3-year Memorandum of Understanding was signed among five parties: Chinese

Ministry of Education, British Council China, DESIS-China, Guangzhou Low Carbon Association and

Guangzhou Valuda Group. The Ministry of Education has committed to providing support to subsequent

rounds of the upcycling event in the coming years.

All the products designed by the students are now exhibited on the website:

http://www.upcyclemaster.com/ In addition to the online exhibition, the products will be exhibited at three

locations:

Exhibition 1----Design & Innovation College, Tongji University

Exhibition 2----EMG.ART, Shanghai

Exhibition 3----Low Carbon Day at Hero Plaza, Guangzhou

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V. IMPACT AND LEGACY

Building on its previous successes, the third round of the upcycling design event culminated in a broad

selection of products crafted over the 10-day workshop. In addition to the personal and team-based

achievements of the participants, a number of concrete institutional links and academia-industry links were

generated or strengthened:

Sustainable Links with Government and Society

1. Strong Support from Chinese Central Government: The event was able to secure strong

and direct support from the Chinese Ministry of Education, with the signing of a three-year MoU

at the UK-China Education Summit on the occasion of the high level People to People

Dialogue, held in Beijing in April 2014. The Ministry of Education is committed to providing

funding and support to subsequent upcycling events over the next three years. The MoU

represents a particularly successful achievement, because it is rare for the Ministry of

Education to directly finance an individual project of this kind.

2. Inspirational Involvement of Liangcheng Community: A standout achievement of the event

was the successful integration of the upcycling design programme with the local Liangcheng

community. The community provided a practical context for students to focus their design skills

and creativity by solving real world problems, which was a great success. The local community

residents were actively involved in cooperation with the students and staff from both countries.

Ms Gao Xiang, Deputy Head of Hongkou District People’s Government of Shanghai showed

her support of the programme and collaboration model by committing to provide further support

on behalf of the local government.

Institutional Links between Chinese and UK Universities:

3. Students Exchange Programme: The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) and Hunan

University have agreed to establish a Student Exchange Programme, where students can be

invited to the linked university to undertake a short-term exchange programme in Industrial

Design. UCLAN has already gained funding to support five students to visit Hunan University

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for exchange programmes in 2014. Hunan University and UCLAN are in the process of

negotiating a MoU to follow up this agreement.

4. Academic Publications: The University of Lincoln has established a good relationship with

Tsinghua University. Tsinghua’s Professor Chao Zhao has translated a book authored by David

Bramston, Principal Lecturer in Enterprise at the University of Lincoln. The University of Lincoln

has also established strong links with most of the institutions that have taken part in the

upcycling event. In December 2013 David Bramston also authored a chapter called ‘Designing

with Waste’ in the book ‘Materials Experience’ published by Elsevier BV. The chapter

referenced the work the University of Lincoln team conducted in a previous upcycling event in

Guangzhou in 2012.

5. Visiting Fellow Scheme between Tsinghua University and University of Lincoln: David

Bramston has been invited to teach a course at Tsinghua University on a short-term Visiting

Fellow Scheme, immediately after the conclusion of the upcycling workshop on 20 April 2014.

6. Other Joint Programme Intentions: Jiangnan University has indicated a strong interest in

setting up undergraduate joint degree programmes with UK universities. Jiangnan is now

identifying an appropriate UK counterpart to develop this programme. Hunan University also

wants to establish joint programmes under the platform of Design for Social Innovation and

Sustainability (DESIS-China) and has already presented a proposal to London Metropolitan

University, Brunel University and the University of Lincoln. Further discussion will be held in

due course.

Links between Academia and Industry:

7. “100 Lights” Project: The University of Lincoln has reached an agreement on a collaborative

project with Guangzhou Valuda Group titled “100 Lights”, where the University of Lincoln will

work with Valuda to create a collection of 100 lights, to be professionally manufactured for

retail.

8. Development towards Commercialisation: a professional website is being developed for this

project: http://www.upcyclemaster.com/ where all the products created by the students will be

exhibited online with the aim of seeking commercialisation opportunities (the English version is

being developed). Eventually, products displayed on this website will be available for online

purchase. The website is in the process of being linked with a similar, well-established UK

website www.co-oproduct.org to increase international impact.

Page 8 of 13

VI. FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS

Participants from the UK and China spoke highly of the project and its benefits to individuals, institutions

and nations as a whole.

“The opportunity to get involved in the British Council China has provided a valuable insight into Chinese

culture and understanding of design. Many opportunities have been provided which would not have been

possible, or certainly harder to achieve, without the structure provided by the British Council China. There

is certainly a feeling of an international community that has emerged between China and the UK from

these projects.

Many of the institutions that we have been able to work with have remained in contact with Lincoln and it is

not uncommon for Chinese students to now ask staff at Lincoln about their ideas in design. This is a good

development and one that we are pleased to be associated with.

The impact of the programme at Lincoln, and in particular the MA International Design Enterprise

programme, has been significant. There is a real awareness of the value of materials and the need to

conserve resources. Additionally the global design community has become a reality and opportunities to

converse with staff, students and designers in China is also now a reality. As more UK institutions get

involved, their message will become stronger.”

--David Bramston, Programme Leader, University of Lincoln

“We have gained valuable contacts to institutions in China, exposure to transcultural work experience and

the opportunity to travel abroad. There has already been good collaboration, and it is now going to be

enriched by further contacts. We would not have achieved the same results if we hadn’t taken part in it.

The event was a platform on which networking has become possible, because it enabled the participants

to get to know one another, and to see each other work.

We get to see the level of expertise of other universities and the teaching styles and attitudes of academics

from other countries. It helps us put into perspective where our own teaching and institutions stand

globally. It is therefore a much valued reality check.”

--Chris Ebbert, Senior Lecturer in Product Design, Nottingham Trent University

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“It was a fantastic project and I thoroughly enjoyed the work and experiences I gained from it. There have

been some great changes this year and they have greatly improved the overall structure and aims of the

project.

There are of course the obvious benefits of the Inter-cultural experience that the students and myself have

had and the chance to travel and work on projects in a very different environment. This has made us think

more about what we design and who we design for as a group. The mixing of students allows the

opportunity for students to work and create designs that cross cultural boundaries, in our case as a

product design course it allows the students to work in new areas of production and to consider the impact

their work as a designer will have on the environment, what happens to their products at the end of life and

how they may incorporate re-use into the design process and product lifecycle.

We would not have achieved any of the positive course development or collaborative contacts without

being involved with these workshop projects. The projects so far and any further workshops or

collaborative projects with Hunan that may take place are a key development for the School of Art Design

and Performance.”

--Graham G Hill, Course Leader BA(Hons) Product Design, University of Central Lancashire

VII. MIDEA IMPACT

This project has been widely reported by specialist industry media and general media both locally and

nationally in China. Some of the influential mainstream news agencies which have covered the project

include Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, ifeng, Wenhui Bao, and Jiefang Daily.

In addition to Chinese language online coverage, the event was also reported by ICS (International

Channel Shanghai) and CCTV, two of the most influential English TV channels in China.

the link to video broadcast on ICS

http://www.icshanghai.com/en/information/2014-04-22/21432.html

the link to video broadcast on CCTV (starting at 28：52)

http://english.cntv.cn/2014/04/23/VIDE1398199441474435.shtml

Please see attachment 1 for a complete list of the internet coverage on this project.

VIII. FOLLOW UP PLAN

British Council China will organise a reciprocal visit to the UK in September 2014 to consolidate the

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collaborations generated from the upcycling event. Delegates will include the major partners of the

project, decision makers from Chinese universities and a selection of the winning teachers and

students. The delegation will visit participating UK universities and the 2014 London Design

Festival.

A formal publication, together with a CD collecting pictures and descriptions of all the works by UK

and Chinese students, will be produced in 2014. It is hoped that the publication can attract a wider

audience and generate considerable impact on how creativity can be successfully allied with

sustainability.

British Council China will follow up the initial collaborations established between participating

higher education institutions and industries with the aim to generate more long-lasting legacy

outcomes.

All partners have shown great interest in continuing this initiative next year, and it has been agreed

that the subsequent round will be hosted by Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China in 2015.

Attachment 1: a list of the internet coverage:

媒体名称 媒体名称 标题 发行量(万

份)

媒体价值

(元) 详细

Media(CN) Media(EN) Headline Reach(10K) Value(Yuan) Detail

上海共青

团 www.shyouth.net

【同济大学】中英高校

师生联合设计工作营在

同济开营

0.01 ￥250 Link

上海共青

团 www.shyouth.net

【同济大学】中英高校

师生联合设计工作营在

同济开营

0.01 ￥250 Link

浦东时间

网 xyfanayi.com

中英学生走进社区看低

碳 0.25 ￥250 Link

虹口报 hong kou bao 中英学生走进社区看低

碳 1.00 ￥2,000 Link

新华网上

海频道 www.sh.xinhuanet.com

废弃物“变”出创意作品

中英高校师生联合设计

工作营开营

0.25 ￥250 Link

Page 11 of 13

新华网上

海频道 www.sh.xinhuanet.com

废弃物“变”出创意作品

中英高校师生联合设计

工作营开营

0.25 ￥250 Link

广州市低

碳产业协

会

lowcarbonguangzhou.org 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在同济大学开营 0.25 ￥250 Link

美考网 www.mkao.cn 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营开营 0.25 ￥250 Link

看看新闻

网 shanghai.kankanews.com

中英高校联合设计营开

营 1.55 ￥250 Link

汉丰网 www.kaixian.tv 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.02 ￥250 Link

人民网 www.people.com.cn 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 2.79 ￥1,674 Link

共产党员

网 news.12371.cn

既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.02 ￥250 Link

中国学网 www.xue163.com/ 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.25 ￥250 Link

人民网 www.people.com.cn 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.02 ￥250 Link

中国环境 www.chinaen.org 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.25 ￥250 Link

低碳中

国·工业网 www.szzxxz.com

既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.25 ￥250 Link

低碳节能

门户 www.dtjnmh.com

既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.25 ￥250 Link

凤凰网 www.ifeng.com 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 95.28 ￥57,166 Link

文汇报网 paper.wenweipo.com 中英高校联合设计营开

营 0.52 ￥250 Link

文汇报网 paper.wenweipo.com 中英高校联合设计营开

营 0.01 ￥250 Link

中国环境 www.chinaen.org 既要推广环保装置更需 0.25 ￥250 Link

Page 12 of 13

培育低碳达人

中国碳排

放研究会 www.tanpaifang.org.cn

既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.25 ￥250 Link

解放网 www.jfdaily.com 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.21 ￥250 Link

搜狐 www.sohu.com 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 7.03 ￥29,000 Link

解放网 www.jfdaily.com 中英高校联合设计营开

营 0.21 ￥250 Link

和讯网 www.hexun.com 中英高校联合设计营开

营 4.61 ￥2,764 Link

人民网 www.people.com.cn 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 26.22 ￥15,735 Link

和讯网 www.hexun.com 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 4.61 ￥2,764 Link

解放日报 Jiefang Daily 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 55.00 ￥5,000 Link

文汇报 Wenhui Bao 中英高校联合设计营开

营 33.00 ￥4,333 Link

人民网 www.people.com.cn 既要推广环保装置更需

培育低碳达人 0.25 ￥250 Link

文汇报网 paper.wenweipo.com 中英高校联合设计营开

营 0.01 ￥250 Link

上海新闻

网 www.sh.chinanews.com.cn

中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在上海开营 0.25 ￥250 Link

同济大学 www.tongji.edu.cn 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在同济开营 0.25 ￥250 Link

中国学网 www.xue163.com/ 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在同济开营 0.25 ￥250 Link

凤凰网 www.ifeng.com 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在同济开营 1.51 ￥250 Link

上海教育

新闻网 www.shedunews.com

中英师生边角料里“变”

出绿色创意作品 0.03 ￥250 Link

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中国产业

经济信息

网

www.cinic.org.cn 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在同济开营 0.04 ￥250 Link

同济大学 www.tongji.edu.cn 中英高校师生联合设计

工作营在同济开营 0.25 ￥250 Link

237.71 ￥127,936

237.71 ￥127,936