At the recently concluded 20th Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) in South Korea, the musical cast from the College of Digital Film and Television of our university took home the Group Art Award in the University Competition Division with its self-created adapted musical Phoenix. This landmark win represents the very first honor claimed by a Chinese university student troupe in DIMF’s university theatre division, marking an unprecedented milestone for Chinese universities at this international event.

Proven Strength at Asia’s Premier Musical Festival: Institutional Teaching Achievements Earn Authoritative Recognition

Founded in 2006, the Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) is the largest professional musical festival in Asia and the second-largest worldwide. Together with the New York Musical Festival, it serves as a vital benchmark for the global musical theatre industry. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the festival achieved record highs in both participation scale and judging rigor, gathering more than 100 troupes from dozens of countries across China, South Korea, Europe and America for international competition.

The Group Art Award of the University Competition Division adopts a holistic evaluation system that assesses entries in terms of production completeness, artistic quality and cultural communication value. Boasting stringent judging standards and fierce competition, the award was conferred upon only four outstanding troupes this session, with our university’s original musicalPhoenix among the recipients. As the first ever Chinese university student team to win this prestigious honor, our faculty and students have fully demonstrated the solid prowess of China’s higher musical education system and excellent cross-cultural communication competence. This groundbreaking achievement has earned valuable international recognition for domestic art education.

Rooted in Chinese Culture, Blending Eastern and Western Stage Languages

The award-winning musical Phoenix is inspired by the classic Chinese cultural symbol of the phoenix rising from ashes, ingeniously integrating traditional Chinese aesthetics with contemporary musical theatre techniques. Rooted in the humanistic connotations of rebirth, hope, and harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, the production presents a touching and culturally profound narrative.

Structured into five acts, the work unfolds with progressive emotional and thematic layers: a prosperous gathering of all birds in the scene of the Hundred Birds Festival; intertwined affection and conflict within Sparking Jealousy and The Wing Clan’s Royal Wedding; profound ecological reflections triggered by Earth’s Cataclysm; and the ultimate spiritual sublimation achieved through rebirth in fire. Throughout its narrative progression, the musical interprets the resilient and uplifting spiritual outlook of the East while conveying profound ecological protection concepts.

All student performers delivered delicate, vivid, and emotionally grounded performances at the international competition. Supported by sophisticated stage design that combines Oriental aesthetic temperament with cutting-edge modern stage technologies, the production fully showcased the unique artistic charm of traditional Chinese folklore on an international platform, earning unanimous recognition and high praise from professional judges and onsite audiences.

This prestigious international achievement is attributed to months of dedicated teamwork and the persistent pursuit of excellence by the university’s faculty and student crew. Under the overall guidance of Professor Wen Xiaoyan, Dean of the College of Digital Film and Television, the core creative team led by teachers Chen Xiongfei and Feng Yi conducted repeated refinement of every production link, including script revision, original music composition, stage rehearsal, costume design and visual effect creation. Multiple academic departments, including the College of Music and the College of Dance, participated in interdisciplinary collaboration for the project. Students from diverse majors received standardized professional training and participated in intensive rehearsals to polish and finalize the complete stage presentation. Professor Wen Xiaoyan attended the award ceremony as the university’s representative, where Bae Sung-hyuk, Chairman of the DIMF Executive Committee, officially presented the award to the team. Beyond affirming the artistic quality of the musical itself, this victory constitutes a historic milestone, marking the first officially awarded student musical work from a Chinese university at this world-renowned theatrical festival.

A Historic Breakthrough Blazes New Trails for Global Artistic Exchange

This prestigious international accolade, alongside this unprecedented milestone for Chinese higher arts education institutions, stands as a landmark tangible achievement reflecting the university’s core educational philosophy: “Refine teaching via stage practice; enrich learning through artistic creation.” It also constitutes an important marker within the university’s international development roadmap. Since its founding, Sichuan University of Culture and Arts has rooted its educational mission in outstanding traditional Chinese culture, shouldered its obligation to advance national cultural strategies, and persistently promoted profound integration of arts instruction and professional stage practice.

This historic achievement fully demonstrates the creative dynamism and robust cultural confidence of contemporary Chinese university students. Furthermore, it sets a replicable operational paradigm that facilitates the global outreach of China’s musical theatre education system.

Going forward, the university will further deepen its commitment to profound literary and theatrical creation. It will inspire faculty and students to depict authentic Chinese narratives and disseminate China’s distinctive cultural voice through high-standard stage productions. The university will also forge collaborative partnerships with world-leading arts institutions to jointly develop sophisticated theatrical works imbued with profound ideological connotations and superior artistic value. By these efforts, Sichuan University of Culture and Arts endeavors to contribute its distinctive academic and artistic strengths to the flourishing of China’s socialist cultural initiatives and the high-quality development of the domestic musical theatre sector.