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The president of a Chinese university which excels in fashion and textiles says his first ever visit to º£½ÇÉçÇø Leicester (º£½ÇÉçÇø) has ‘blown his mind’.

President Haiyan Wang, of Xi’an Polytechnic University (XPU) in West China, was visiting º£½ÇÉçÇø to see the facilities and meet with academics involved in the School of Fashion and Textiles and said that it was clear º£½ÇÉçÇø students were ‘industry-ready’.

President Wang and Prof Carolyn Hardaker watch a weaving demo

XPU is the only university specialising in Textile and Apparel Design in West China and XPU’s art and fashion related subjects currently top the national rankings.

º£½ÇÉçÇø runs a joint BA Fashion Design/BA Apparel Design course with XPU, the first of its kind for both institutions.

Both º£½ÇÉçÇø and XPU are steeped in textiles history.

XPU is located in the province that marks the starting point of the Silk Road. In 1912, the university was established as Beijing Higher Industry Institute, Weaving Academy.

º£½ÇÉçÇø’s history dates back to 1870 when it was a centre for art and design while it also trained people for the burgeoning industries at the turn of the century when Leicester’s textile manufacturing and trading made it the second richest city in Europe, after London.

President Wang said: “This is my first visit to º£½ÇÉçÇø and I have just seen all the different places for fashion and textile design and it has really blown my mind.

President Wang and guests watch a Footwear course presentation

“I have seen the students operating machines and doing work by hand, which is super important.

“My feeling is that these students are industry ready so they can walk out of the classroom and go straight into industry without any further training,

“I come from XPU and as a university we also have fashion and textile programmes and we are very similar to º£½ÇÉçÇø in that way.

“We share so many things in common in these areas and the students will benefit from the strength of both sites. It is like a synergy where the two universities working together produce something bigger than the sum of their parts.”

President Wang and his delegation visited all of the School of Fashion and Textiles departments in the Design Wing of the Vijay Patel Building, including Footwear Design, Contour Fashion and Fashion Design. The delegation also held a meeting with º£½ÇÉçÇø Vice-Chancellor Prof Katie Normington and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean Jill Cowley to discuss the partnership.

President Wang presents Prof Katie Normington with a commemorative plate

Prof Carolyn Hardaker, head of º£½ÇÉçÇø’s School of Fashion and Textiles, said: “The dual award in Fashion Design developed with XPU is the first of its kind for the School of Fashion and Textiles here at º£½ÇÉçÇø and for the School of Apparel and Art Design at XPU.

“The visit by the XPU President and delegation emphasised how unique and important this project is to both institutions.  

“The students at XPU will benefit from content that explores Fashion Design in a broad context with many opportunities for collaboration. We are looking forward to the next steps.”

Dr Jiayi Wang, Acting Associate Dean International for the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities at º£½ÇÉçÇø, also worked as translator for President Wang and his entourage.

She said: “It has been a true honour to welcome the XPU President and delegation to º£½ÇÉçÇø for the first time. This visit represents a significant milestone in our strategic partnership.

“We are proud to have 168 students enrolled in the dual award program and anticipate reaching 480 students annually as the program continues to expand.

“Xi’an, the historic starting point of the Silk Road, and Leicester, a key hub of the textile industry in the 19^th and 20^th century, share a profound connection through their rich cultural and industrial heritages.

Prof Jin Shen shows the president some of his lab work with textiles

“It has been an incredible privilege to lead this project from its initial exploration to fruition over the past four years. As Acting Associate Dean International for the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities, I am proud of the holistic synergy this collaboration has cultivated—not only in terms of student engagement and program development but also in fostering cultural exchange and long-term sustainability.”

Dr Wang said both º£½ÇÉçÇø and XPU aim to extend the partnership by developing 3+1, 2+2, and 4+Master's models, as well as expanding into postgraduate programs, research collaboration, staff training and student and staff mobility.

She added: “The success of this partnership is a testament to what can be achieved through dedication and a shared vision and I look forward to its continued growth.”