I. About Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art (ZVAA)

Located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art (ZVAA) is a public full-time comprehensive higher vocational institution specializing in arts education. Distinguished by its unique educational features, high teaching standards, and outstanding talent cultivation, it ranks among the top of its kind in China. It is the only comprehensive vocational arts college to have won the National Teaching Achievement Award for three consecutive terms and has led the development of 42 professional profiles and 26 teaching standards for the cultural and arts category. ZVAA offers 27 majors, including Opera Performance—a national demonstration major for ethnic cultural heritage and innovation in vocational education. Five majors, such as Opera Performance and Drama, Film and Television Performance, are designated as national key specialties, while Sound-Image Engineering Technology and Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation are key construction majors supported by central government funding. Additionally, the academy boasts nine provincial-level leading and distinctive majors.

In international education, ZVAA actively builds bridges for cultural exchanges between China and other countries. In collaboration with the Australian Institute of Music, it runs a joint program in Music Performance (Vocal), welcoming its first cohort of international students in 2025.The academy has successfully held programs such as the YES Program for   American youth and the “Roots-Seeking Journey"Art Summer Camp for Spanish-Chinese teenagers.The “Eastern Rhythm of Dance” performance series has been staged in Paris, France, and Bangkok, Thailand, serving as a significant platform for cultural dialogue between China and the world.

II. Review of Past Summer Programs

As a key participant in the YES program of the China Education Association for International Exchange, ZVAA has successfully hosted multiple cross-cultural study programs in recent years, welcoming nearly 100 young scholars from countries such as the United States and Spain, serving as a bridge for youth exchanges between China and other nations through immersive artistic experiences.

In the winter of 2024, the college hosted a seven-day study tour for 21 American teachers and students under the theme "We Await Your Experience in ZVAA" The participants deeply engaged in traditional techniques such as tie-dye and waterprint woodcut printing, attended courses on opera, folk music, and classical dance, and also experienced (Wu Opera) culture in Jinhua. They visited the China Silk Museum, the West Lake, and the Yiwu International Small Commodity Market. The event received high praise, with student representatives expressing significant gains from the experience.

In the summer of 2025, ZVAA invited a youth study group of 20 students from the Barrington 220 School District in the U.S. to participate in a nine-day immersive experience, featuring a model combining "classroom learning, cultural engagement, and urban exploration." The program covered areas such as traditional opera and handicrafts, with bilingual Chinese-English instructors. In early July, 33 Spanish teenagers joined a 15-day " Roots-Seeking Journey", where they revisited cultural memories through traditional art studies, intangible cultural heritage practices, and urban visits, deepening their understanding and emotional connection to Chinese traditional culture.

The two activities have established a mature model of "course experience+cultural visits+friendship building," accumulating rich experience and laying a solid foundation for the upgrade and expansion of the 2026 summer program.

III.  Introduction to the 2026 Summer Program

From late June to early July 2026, ZVAA will launch a significantly upgraded edition of the YES Program, expanding both its scale and content. The academy plans to invite over 20 young American scholars and around 50 young Spanish scholars to participate in the themed study initiative “We Await Your Experience in ZVAA”. With the mission of “immersing in traditional Chinese arts and fostering mutual cultural exchange,” the program will feature an optimized curriculum and extended cultural visits, offering a 14‑day immersive cultural experience.

I）Core Arts Experience:  Appreciating the Beauty of Traditional Skills

The program features ten core arts courses spanning three categories—performing arts, visual arts, and handicrafts—taught jointly by the academy’s experienced faculty and intangible cultural heritage inheritors. Using a “theory + practice + creation” model, it guides international youth to appreciate the refinement and spirit of Chinese arts through handson immersion:

· Performing Arts:
Chinese opera (Kunqu opera, basic movements and vocal techniques),
Traditional music (introduction to vocal styles and instruments such as the guqin),
Chinese dance (learning excerpts of ethnic and folk dances) — revealing the rhythm of the East.

· Visual Arts:
Calligraphy (regular and running scripts with brush pen),
Chinese-style portrait photography (traditional costume styling and scene composition),
Opera makeup (facial painting for dan roles and character design)—capturing the imagery of Chinese aesthetics. 

· Handicrafts:
Tie-dyeing (traditional binding techniques to create scarves, fabric bags, etc.), Waterprint woodcut (carving and multi-color printing to produce New Year pictures and prints), ceramics (green-celadon throwing, shaping, and basic firing),
cultural relics restoration (basics of ceramic repair) — passing on the wisdom of “intangible heritage at the fingertips.”

All courses are held in professional training spaces fully equipped with tools and materials, including the handicraft workshops in Liye block, dance studios, and opera rehearsal halls. At the end of the program, an “Sino-Foreign Youth Arts Achievement Exhibition” will be held to display participants’ works, offering a lasting memory of their learning journey.

II) Heritage Sites Visits: Zhejiang on Foot
Beyond on-campus courses, the program includes visits to intangibleculturalheritage venues and cultural landmarks in and around Hangzhou, turning each trip into “walking arts classroom” where tradition comes alive.

All visits are accompanied by professional guides and interpreters, with interactive experiences designed to let participants “see, hear, touch, and try,” offering a holistic insight into Zhejiang’s rich heritage and contemporary vitality.

The 2026 YES Summer Program is a key initiative of the academy in promoting youth exchanges between China and other countries, as well as an important practice in its international education mission. It aims to cultivate transnational cultural ambassadors who understand and appreciate China, to share Chinese culture globally, to deepen friendship and cooperation among youth from China, the United States, and Spain, and to highlight the academy’s educational character and cultural commitment—thereby contributing ZVAA’s artistic strength to the building of a global community of shared future.

We warmly invite young American and Spanish scholars to gather at ZVAA, where art builds bridges and culture weaves bonds. Join us in Zhejiang to feel the warmth of art, and to harvest both growth and lasting friendship!

Contact Person: Ren Fuyuan
Contact Details: +86-187 5857 5979，+86-571-8715 0161