Recently, the winners of the 3th “Entrepreneur Growth Plan” at Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU) were officially announced. Tian Miaoqing and Huang Jiayue, students from the Culture, Creativity and Management (CCM) Programme, School of Culture and Management (SCC) have successfully won the “New Entrepreneurial Talent Award” with their solid professional skills, outstanding project achievements, and exceptional overall performance.

The “BNBU Entrepreneur Growth Plan” was initiated on December 29, 2023, to accompany BNBU's holistic education and liberal arts philosophy. It aims to foster students’ spirit of innovation and practical abilities, stimulate their engagement in a variety of innovative and entrepreneurial activities. Through these activities, students could develop their well-rounded, curious, and inventive talents for the future. The point system is based on the level of competition each student engages in, with accumulated points leading to rewards such as the “New Entrepreneurial Talent”, “Pioneering Innovator” and “Outstanding Entrepreneur Star”.

Group Photo of Tian Miaoqing (second from the right) and her academic advisors, Dr. Wang Xi (first from the left), and her team members

Group Photo of Tian Miaoqing (second from the right) and her team members

Tian Miaoqing, a Year-4 student from the CCM programme, is one of the recipients of the "New Entrepreneurial Talent" award this time. She has consistently demonstrated a strong passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, and has actively participated in various business competitions and practical activities organized by the university, continuously refining her business logic and project execution capabilities. Leveraging her solid professional competence and keen market insights, she has achieved remarkable success. She won the First Prize at the university level in the 15th National University Student E-commerce “Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship” Challenge, as well as the Gold Award at the university level in the 2025 “Jingniu Hui” Cup & China International College Students’ Innovation Competition. Furthermore, the project she leads was successfully approved as an entrepreneurship training project under the 2025 National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students.

Behind these accolades lies her in-depth exploration of the intersection of culture and technology. Under the guidance of academic advisors, Tian and her team have deeply engaged in the museum and cultural heritage sector. Together, they developed an innovative museum service platform that integrates cultural heritage preservation with technological innovation. Precisely targeting the core needs of cultural tourism enthusiasts and cultural consumers, the platform provides one-stop museum information and comprehensive social interaction experiences. It has successfully filled a market gap for museum-focused social platforms, fully demonstrating the outstanding ability of CCM students to translate rich cultural heritage into commercial value.

The interface of Tian’s Project

For Tian, getting an award in "Entrepreneur Growth Plan” is not merely an honor, but a profound recognition of her relentless exploration over the past period. She had the distinct privilege of serving as the team leader for their museum service platform project. This role came with a heavy sense of responsibility, yet it was precisely this weight that drove her to learn how to coordinate and plan under pressure, build consensus, and lead the team forward. She would like to express her heartfelt gratitude to their academic advisors—Prof. Eugene Ch’ng, Dean of School of Culture and Creativity, and Dr. Wang Xi, Director of the Culture, Creativity and Management Programme. It was their visionary guidance and meticulous mentorship that enabled the project to mature step by step. She also owes a deep debt of gratitude to every member of her team. Those days spent staying up late to refine the business plan and rehearsing the pitches repeatedly are their precious shared memories. Without their collective dedication and teamwork, this achievement would not have been possible.

Looking back on this business competition journey, her greatest takeaway has been the successful transition from theoretical learning to real-world practice. These invaluable experiences gave her genuine, hands-on exposure to systematic business knowledge, ranging from preliminary market research and competitive analysis to the subsequent construction of a business model. Looking ahead, she will carry this passion and the experience she has gathered, continuing to forge ahead firmly on the path of cultural creativity.

Huang’s project “CV Plus”

Another award-winning student is Huang Jiayue, a CCM Year-2 student. During his time at university, he has actively engaged in innovative and entrepreneurial practices, demonstrating a distinctive interdisciplinary quality and robust project execution skills. He served as the project leader for the 2025 College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Programme titled “AIGC Cross-disciplinary Exploration of Knowledge Utilization by University Students”. Under his leadership, the team completed a comprehensive review of literature and constructed a theoretical framework for the application of AIGC in the field of education. The associated research findings were successfully selected for presentation at the AIS Conference where they delivered a thematic report. Currently, the project is transitioning from theoretical research to the product development phase, focusing on cross-disciplinary learning assistance applications. In addition, he collaborated with students from the Faculty of Science and Technology, deeply involving himself in the technical work of the “CV Plus” AI resume optimization entrepreneurship project, facilitating the continuous iteration of online services. With a background in cultural and creative management, he has ventured into the realms of AI engineering and product design, constantly expanding his capacity with a composite perspective. He is a “cross-disciplinary contender”, embodying both creative thinking and execution abilities.

Under the guidance of Dr. Iceman Leung (second from the right) and other advisors, the research achievements of Huang Jiayue’s team (third from the left) were selected for the AIS Conference

Reflecting on this journey of innovation and entrepreneurship, Huang’s deepest realization is that “interdisciplinary” is never just a slogan but a mindset that requires constant practice. From learning cultural narratives and user insights in CCM classrooms to delving into the foundations of AIGC technology, grappling with code alongside the engineering team, and fixing bugs, each crossover has forced him to step out of his comfort zone and adopt a more holistic viewpoint to understand a product or a piece of research. He is profoundly grateful to Dr. Iceman Leung for his academic guidance during the innovation project, and to all the collaborating students for their trust and support, allowing him to learn how to transform ideas into products in the real business scenarios. The essence of innovation, perhaps, is to maintain curiosity amid uncertainty and to be willing to take an extra step when faced with confusion. Looking ahead, he will continue to explore at the intersections of culture, technology, and commerce, treating every competition and project as a mini “entrepreneurial exercise”, using real products and user feedback to test his judgments. This “New Entrepreneurial Talent Award” is a starting point and a source of encouragement, reminding him to embrace the unknown and hone his skills with an entrepreneurial mindset.

The Culture, Creativity and Management (CCM) programme is rooted in the unique integration of cultural arts and business management, using interdisciplinary education to nurture students’ creativity, management, and practical skills. Looking ahead, CCM will continue to encourage students to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship competitions related to their field of study, using these contests to facilitate learning and foster creativity. This approach aims to help students develop into multifaceted talents within the cultural and creative industries, unleashing their innovative potential.

Text: Xie Yi, Tian Miaoqing, and Huang Jiayue  

Photos: provided by Tian Miaoqing and Huang Jiayue