On the morning of December 8, NUA held the opening ceremony of the joint exhibition of art and design to celebrate the 109th anniversary and the launching ceremony of the 110th anniversary of its founding in the Experimental Theater. Cao Yumei, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, Feng Jianqin, former Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former President of NUA, Han Xu, Vice President of China Academy of Art, Yu Feng, Secretary of the Party Committee of NUA, Zhang Linghao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of NUA, leaders of relevant divisions of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, representatives of sister colleges and universities, school leaders Xie Jianming, Li Xiangmin, Lyu Bin, Zhan Heping, Zhang Jie, Chen Yongmei, Li Tong, middle-level officials, faculty members, students and alumni representatives of NUA attended the ceremony presided by Li Tong.

Yu Feng, Secretary of the Party Committee of NUA, pointed out that since 1912, when Liu Haisu’s founding the Shanghai College of Graphic Arts acted as the spark that ignited modern higher education in China, NUA has experienced 109 years of hardships and trials. For more than a century, NUA has still remained true to our original aspiration, and generations of our faculty members have been striving for self-improvement and continuous progress. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, under the strong leadership of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Jiangsu Provincial Government, the Jiangsu Provincial Education Committee and the Jiangsu Department of Education, and in the direction of "being knowledgeable, discreet, perseverant and perfect while seeking changes" school-running spirit, NUA has been thoroughly implementing education, literature and art policies of the Party, with the insistence on high moral values establishment and people cultivation as our fundamental task, “four services” as our educational orientation, and "educating people for the Communist Party of China and educating talent for the nation" as our original mission. The university has made remarkable achievements in talent cultivation, discipline construction, scientific research, artistic creation, cultural heritage, social service and international cooperation. In particular, NUA has become the only art university authorized all five first-level discipline doctoral programs and post-doctoral stations in the art disciplines. Jointly built by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government and selected into in the Peak Plan for Jiangsu High-level Universities, NUA has taken solid steps in the journey of building a world-class comprehensive art university with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Yu Feng stressed that the year 2022, marking the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the 110th anniversary of NUA’s founding,is an important milestone for its development in a new century. The launching ceremony lifts the curtain on preparing for the 110th anniversary of the university. All faculty and students should take the 110th-anniversary event as an important opportunity to review history, promote tradition, summarize experience, showcase achievements, gather strength and enhance influence. The university should strengthen organizational leadership and overall planning for a premium, influential and fruitful celebration, making it a wonderful memory for all. NUA extends sincere invitations to leaders at all levels, friends from all walks of life and alumni from home and abroad to join us in celebrating the anniversary, sharing our love for our alma mater, and creating a brighter future for NUA.

Zhang Linghao noted that in 2021 NUA was selected into the Peak Plan for Jiangsu High-level University Development, indicating a new level to which NUA had stepped up. The next five years marks a key transitional period for the coordinative development of NUA from a single campus to a dual campus model, a decisive period for taking the first step of the "three-step" strategy proposed by the 10th congress of the Party and a strategic period for making improvements and breakthroughs to promote NUA’s high-quality development. The university will focus on building a team of high-level faculty members with high moral and artistic excellence, integrating at and science, cultivating high-level artistic talents for social and economic development, producing high-level scientific research results with characteristics of Chinese artistic thought, and providing high-level cultural services for a new era with new themes, so as to make NUA a high-level university.

Li Tong presented the written message from the Department of Language Application and Administration of the Ministry of Education. Han Xu, curator of the London Design Museum Eleanor Watson, Dean of the School of Design of Central Academy of Fine Arts Song Xiewei, and exhibition host representative Li Lixin delivered speeches successively.

Cao Yumei, Feng Jianqin, Han Xu, Yu Feng and Zhang Linghao jointly launched the celebratory event for the 110th anniversary of NUA’s founding, successfully concluded by singing the anthem of NUA—"I Love My Alma Mater for Thousands of Years".

The participants visited the joint exhibition of art and design celebrating the 109th anniversary of NUA’s founding after the ceremony.