Recently, the result of the first National College Student Rural Revitalization and Innovation Competition was announced. Chenlu Ni, an

undergraduate student from Faculty of International Tourism and Management (FITM) at the City University of Macau, led a team of seven

undergraduates from six different universities, including Sun Yat-sen University, South China Normal University, Guangzhou University,

Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and Taizhou University. Under the guidance of Dr. Xingbao (Simon) Hu, an assistant professor at the FITM,

their project "The Overall Brand Image Design and Marketing Strategy for Xinxian Ginkgo" stood out from 46 final projects and ultimately won third place.

Chenlu Ni, an undergraduate student from FITM

Award certificate

The competition, which was sponsored by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, commenced on January 7, 2021, with the theme "Creativity for Better Rural Areas!" The objective was to facilitate the collaboration between Xinxian County and universities throughout China, promote

integrated agricultural and cultural tourism development in Xinxian County, and cultivate and expand rural cultural innovation businesses

while stimulating college students' innovative vitality. The preliminaries of the competition attracted 761 teams comprising 15,000 college

students from 312 colleges and universities across 27 provinces (including municipalities, autonomous regions, and special administrative

regions) in China.

The collaborative team stood out from the competitors with exceptional results and was named one of the 46 finalists. For the final, the

collaborative team actively produced samples of cultural and creative products. Throughout the defense session, the team maintained a calm demeanor and thoroughly expounded the design concept and plan for the project to the judges. They respond to the judges' questions

flexibly and wittily and were recognized by the judges unanimously. Eventually, they were awarded third place.

Ginkgo IP image designed by the team

Ginkgo cultural and decorative painting designed by the team

Ginkgo Keychain designed by the team

Ginkgo-themed potted plant designed by the team

By participating in this competition, students demonstrated their knowledge and ability in the design and development of cultural and

creative tourism products, as well as tourism destination marketing. While it contributed to the country's rural revitalization and construction,

it also showcased FITM students’ professionalism, excellence, and demeanor to various sectors of society.