The Lingang Jewelry Art Center officially broke ground by Dishui Lake in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area on Feb 17, marking another innovative move to promote industry-education integration within the area.

Scheduled for completion in July this year, the center is intended to serve as a comprehensive cultural and artistic platform integrating teaching and research, industrial innovation, and cultural experiences. It is poised to enhance the area's cultural soft power.

Site of the Lingang Jewelry Art Center by Dishui Lake. [Photo/WeChat ID: shlgguanweihui]

Occupying an area of approximately 700 square meters, the center will engage in activities such as appraisal and evaluation, design and production, marketing, cultural transmission, and brand promotion.

Looking ahead, the center will leverage Lin-gang's abundant scientific research resources to propel cross-border applications in areas such as synthetic artificial crystals and precious metal refining. Collaborations with companies like Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Tesla will also be explored, with a goal to pioneer the use of aviation-grade titanium alloy in jewelry design.

Since its planning stages, the center has received strong support from industry leaders such as Chow Tai Fook, PASCAL, and Monster Maison. Through joint curriculum development, shared training platforms, and collaborative research on technical challenges, industry experts will be invited into the colleges and universities, while faculty and student teams will lend their efforts to off-campus endeavors at industrial parks.

The center will help to turn Lin-gang Special Area into a national pilot core area for industry-education integration, relying on its rich scientific research resources and innovative cooperation models.

The center is set to contribute to industry-education integration in Lin-gang Special Area upon completion. [Photo/WeChat ID: shlgguanweihui]

Upon completion, the center will provide four key functions: introduction of authentic corporate projects that will help students transition from school to work; co-building of technology centers with enterprises that will promote the research and development of new materials and processes; cultivation of an incubation platform for the jewelry industry that will boost the upgrading of Lin-gang's cultural tourism industry; and the launching of science popularization experiences to the community that will enhance regional cultural soft power.