New Era University College Chinese Studies PhD Student Wins Gold at the 2026 MUSE Design Awards
Guo Yixuan, a PhD student in Chinese Studies at New Era University College (NEUC), has won Gold at the 2026 MUSE Design Awards for her work, “The Way of Tea: A Journey Through the Wei-Jin Tea Culture”. The achievement highlights the innovative capabilities of our students in cultural research and creative design.
Competing in the category of Interior Design - Exhibits, Pavilions & Exhibitions, the project centers on the tea culture of the Wei and Jin dynasties, using the immersive storytelling of "Entering the Painting" to elevate traditional tea culture from fixed displays into accessible and participatory exhibiting experiences. It draws on tomb murals, unearthed tea wares, and related historical documents from the Wei, Jin, and Northern‑Southern Dynasties as cultural evidence, transforming fragmented tea customs, Qingtan, and landscape feasting into accessible, perceptible, and interactive spatial scenarios.
The project is based on Guo’s doctoral dissertation research and was supervised by Professor Dr. Lew Bon Hoi from the Department of Southeast Asian Studies and the Department of Chinese Studies at NEUC. Other contributors to the project included three international students at NEUC: Liu Lei, a PhD student in Arts, Design and Creative Media; Bu Manling, a PhD student in Southeast Asian Studies; and Yuan Chenhong, a PhD student in Chinese Studies.
The 2026 MUSE Design Awards ceremony will be held on 12 November. This achievement recognizes the team’s successful integration of academic research and creative practice, while highlighting the potential and accomplishments of NEUC’s international students in interdisciplinary research, creative design, and the promotion of Chinese culture.
