Integrating the advantages of British higher education and domestic resources, the HBU-UCLan School of Media, Communication and Creative Industries is building itself into a distinguished platform to cultivate cross-cultural talent and foster international industry cooperation.

As the first Chinese-foreign cooperatively run educational institution in Hebei province, the school was founded in 2013 by Hebei University and the University of Lancashire in the United Kingdom.

Approved by the Ministry of Education, it offers six undergraduate programs and three graduate programs, including television production, interior design and music industry management and promotion. Upon graduation, students can receive degrees granted by both universities.

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One of the goals of Chinese-foreign cooperative education is to achieve the effect of "one plus one is greater than two", said Lyu Yi, dean of the school, adding that it has drawn on the core strengths of the University of Lancashire, including its teaching philosophy, methods and practices.

British universities emphasize students' practical ability and innovative thinking, which are exactly what Chinese students need to improve upon, according to Lyu. The school has therefore incorporated hands-on projects into its curriculum that are jointly instructed by Chinese and foreign teachers.

A junior student in interior design, for example, is required to design and make furniture independently, and for the graduation project, he or she must complete a design work exploring future life.

Students cannot only acquire a solid theoretical foundation but also develop a range of practical abilities in this way, Lyu said.

Every year, a number of students from the school participate in a summer camp at the University of Lancashire, where they are offered English courses covering speaking, listening and writing skills, as well as activities that allow them to experience British culture.

Meanwhile, the University of Lancashire sends a delegation of teachers and students to the school annually for a weeklong collaborative program. During this period, students from both countries work together on projects.

"The key competitiveness of our graduates lies in their international perspective, sense of social responsibility, innovative and practical abilities, strong resilience and confidence," the dean said.

Committed to sharing China's stories with the world, the school organizes cultural tours for faculty to famous historical sites such as Xuankong Temple and the Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi province to enhance their international communication skills and promote traditional Chinese culture.

The school's lecturer Isabel Benito Gutierrez is particularly enthusiastic about Baoding laodiao, a traditional opera genre popular in Baoding, Hebei province. Her research spans multiple interconnected dimensions, from musical elements such as instrumentation, melodic language and aesthetic principles to its values and the international dissemination of intangible cultural heritage.

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In 2025, Gutierrez shared her studies at symposia held at the University of Lancashire and Cornell University in the United States.

"One of my primary research objectives is to document and communicate the musical aesthetics and cultural significance of Baoding laodiao to international scholars, demonstrating how it provides an artistic lens through which to understand Chinese history and values," Gutierrez said.

In 2016, the school set up a virtual reality workstation in partnership with professors from the Pratt Institute, followed by the establishment of the International Research Center for Cultural and Creative Industries in 2019. It has also reached cooperation agreements with domestic cultural companies and partnered with film and television studios to build internship bases, thereby supporting industry development.

"Currently, both China and the UK are pushing forward their cultural and creative industries, which has created broad space and significant opportunities for cooperation.

"Based on our international reach, professional expertise and talent pool, we hope to step up cooperation with the British embassy in China and British enterprises. We are very willing to serve as a messenger and bridge for exchanges and cooperation in the cultural and creative industries between the two countries," Lyu said.

Contact the writers at zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn