Recently, the results of the 2026 MUSE Design Awards were announced. Ding Xiaofei, a teacher at the School of Art and Design of Beijing Polytechnic University and a Master of Beijing Arts and Crafts, won the Gold Award with his original work Four Seasons Blessing Spring Plate. This marks another major international breakthrough for the university’s faculty in the field of art and design, and signifies that the university has reached a new level in the cultivation of cultural and creative talents as well as the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage.
Hosted by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the International Awards Association (IAA), the MUSE Design Awards is a highly authoritative international competition in the global design industry, renowned for honoring outstanding works in terms of design aesthetics, cultural rootedness and humanistic care.
The award-winning work Four Seasons Blessing Spring Plate was specially commissioned by China Media Group (CMG) and tailor-made as an exclusive zodiac blessing gift for the 2025 Yisi Snake Year Spring Festival Gala. With a nationwide limited release of 120,000 sets, the piece made its dazzling debut on New Year’s Eve, serving as a brilliant showcase for spreading excellent traditional Chinese culture.
Adopting a composition of "round outside and square inside", the work ingeniously embodies the oriental philosophical wisdom of "round heaven and square earth, harmony between heaven, earth and humanity". Crafted with enamel porcelain techniques, it goes through multiple complex procedures including biscuit firing, gold tracing, color filling and refiring, perfectly integrating 999 pure gold with the porcelain body. The vivid snake patterns complement flowers of the four seasons, conveying the profound Chinese wishes for family reunion and national unity during the Spring Festival, and demonstrating the profound professional competence and artistic attainments of the university’s teacher.
When talking about the design concept, Ding Xiaofei noted that as a university art educator, his creations have long been committed to the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture. The work reorganizes the zodiac snake with traditional patterns such as persimmon calyx patterns and four-in-one ruyi motifs, supplemented by red, green and gold colors, retaining traditional auspicious meanings while meeting contemporary aesthetic needs.
The School of Art and Design has long adhered to the teaching philosophy of "promoting teaching and learning through competitions", encouraging teachers and students to closely integrate professional expertise with social practice. Teacher Ding Xiaofei’s achievement in this international award fully demonstrates the profound expertise of the school’s faculty. In the future, the school will continue to support teachers and students in telling the story of Chinese design and creating more outstanding works with both contemporary characteristics and cultural connotations.
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