20-24 April 2026, Beijing — The fifth “ICH as Fashion” programme workshop “Tech-Enabled Translation and Systems Innovation for ICH” was held at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT). The workshop was co-organized by UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, the International Centre for Creativity and Sustainable Development under the auspices of UNESCO (ICCSD), and BIFT, with the support from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, the Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, and the Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Promotion Center. A total of 50 ICH bearers, fashion students, and emerging designers participated in the workshop.
Marking a critical phase in the 2-year programme’s progression, the workshop focused on advancing participants’ projects from design development toward technological integration and system-level innovation. Building on previous four workshops, it introduced new approaches to product refinement, digital tools, and industry-oriented thinking, while reinforcing the ethical dimensions of safeguarding and cultural attribution.
Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, highlighted the programme evolving direction in his opening speech, “Creative work rooted in ICH is not only conceptually strong, but also professionally viable and ready to engage with real-world contexts”.
Li Shouyong, Director of Cultural, Science, and Technology Education of the Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Promotion Center underscored that education as the foundation, technology as the enabler, and talent as the driving force constitute the key pathways for the safeguarding and sustainable development of ICH.
Huang Keying from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology echoed that ICH is the world’s shared treasure, while fashion is a contemporary expression of culture. The spirit of traditional aesthetics needs to be re-energized through contemporary design thinking.
A defining strength of the workshop was its interdisciplinary teaching faculty, which brought together expertise across cultural heritage, design, technology, and industry. Among the facilitators, Prof. Ding Zhaochen from BIFT played a central role in guiding participants through digital fashion systems, AI-assisted design, and emerging virtual environments. His preparatory engagement with participant teams prior to the workshop enabled a more tailored, project-oriented learning experience, while his sessions during the workshop helped bridge conceptual design with practical technological application.
Prof. Ding also introduced the “lightning course” component, focusing on practical, lightweight topics such as AI-generated music videos, digital humans, traffic and audience engagement strategies, and IP development, which were widely welcomed and actively participated in by the participants.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ich-fashion-workshop-advances-tech-enabled-pathways-living-heritage?hub=701
