On October 28th, 2023, at 2:00 pm, Prof. Xu Liaoyuan, Director of the Chengdu Xu Liaoyuan Museum of Modern Design Art, Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Artists Association, Artist of State Gift of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/New China, Founder of the Objectivist Art School, and a renowned artist, delivered a special lecture to the Master and Doctoral students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the City University of Macau. The lecture, titled “Turning to the Future,” was conducted both online and offline. It was hosted by Associate Professor Xiao Daibai, Director of the Cultural Industry Graduate Program of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the City University of Macau. Over 40 master and doctoral students majoring in cultural industry management attended the lecture.

Starting from concrete and intuitive art and design works such as wine bottles, artifacts, and automobiles, Prof. Xu Liaoyuan guided the audience step by step into the future world within their hearts. He advocates materialism, understanding creativity and design from a humanistic and philosophical perspective, and emphasizes finding a place of spiritual and soulful conversion beyond the functionality of objects. The essence of this conversion is culture. He believes that culture and industry form an organic whole, with no contradiction between creativity and business. Great products carry their own momentum, and the power of sensibility itself is the driving force of consumption.

The entire lecture was not only a visual feast but also a feast of ideas. Prof. Xu Liaoyuan presented a perfect fusion of life, design, and thought. His thoughtfulness and philosophical nature opened up a channel to a higher-dimensional space of thought for students majoring in cultural industry management. His intuitive and concrete approach expanded the reach into a wide range of life scenarios for these students. He provided the teachers and students of the Cultural Industry Management Program at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the City University of Macau with a deeper understanding of the familiar basic concepts of creativity, culture, and cultural industry.