The Mercury Heritage Knowledge & Skills Innovation Program is a multi-regional, interdisciplinary cultural heritage education initiative spanning Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanxi, and beyond.
The program aims to develop a comprehensive curriculum integrating traditional knowledge, craft skills, digital heritage documentation, and sustainable conservation technologies, empowering young learners to become future-ready heritage practitioners with cross-disciplinary competencies.
Through close collaboration between faculty and students, the program has established both a Sustainability Lab and a Heritage & Intangible Cultural Heritage Lab, generating a wide range of outputs including academic research, technological innovations, cultural products, and real-world implementation cases.
A series of project-based video publications has been released via the “Hardcore Innovation” media channel, attracting nearly 150,000 followers. Selected outcomes have been compiled into the publication Future Literacy, released by China Publishing Group, and recognized as one of Sina’s “Family Favorate Education Book Series of the Year.”
Leveraging Mercury Academy’s self-directed learning system and its six rotating field-based teaching centers (Zhoushan Island, Wudang Mountain, Shanxi, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen), the program pioneers the integration of heritage literacy into secondary education curricula, setting a new benchmark in innovative education.
Key Domains & Representative Projects
1. Zero Hunger
Innovation in standardized Chinese ready-to-eat meals: 95% pre-cooked Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Scientific research on the “Fifth Brewing Method” of tea (student-led)2. Biodiversity
The role of architecture in bird conservation: a comprehensive review Swan habitat ecological design project3. Intangible Heritage × Sustainability
MERCURY Sustainable Yaodong Villa Project4. Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
Music & Instruments
Experimental transplantation of the Guqin bass bar and acoustic optimization Innovative mechanical design of Guqin tuning pegs Harpsichord construction project Revival of traditional silk-string craftsmanship for Guqin5. Wudang Mountain Teaching Center
An integrated curriculum including:
Daoist philosophy and martial arts Ritual music composition Traditional timber architecture systems Mountain ecology studies Heritage craft practices Comparative Eastern–Western thought6. Traditional Craft Digitization
Lacquer Art
Experiential program on Daqi Tixi lacquer carving (national ICH masterclass)Ceramics
Digital reconstruction of Jingdezhen porcelain and cross-cultural design7. Religion & Manuscript Digitization
AI-assisted recognition and cataloguing of palm-leaf manuscripts (student research)8. Heritage Revitalization & Green Technology
Helios X Project Application of vacuum photovoltaic glazing in historic buildings to enable energy transition without altering heritage appearance (from the former residence of Lu Xun to Shanxi architectural heritage sites)9. Cultural IP & Creative Industries (Ongoing)
Yuanmingyuan cultural IP design project 3D modeling and virtual reconstruction of historic architecture Transformation of heritage knowledge into cultural IP, short films, and global media products10. Curriculum & Publications
Future Literacy × Heritage Literacy Integrating heritage knowledge, sustainability, and innovation methodologies into secondary education11. Digital Outreach
“Hardcore Innovation” video channel nearly 150,000 engaged followers12. Education Equity
Targeting over 2 million home-based learners, Mercury Academy provides accessible, interactive online programs, advancing equitable access to high-quality education.
Impact
Through hands-on practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world implementation, the program establishes a new paradigm of heritage education:
Traditional Knowledge × Innovation Skills × Social EngagementIt offers a scalable and replicable model for heritage conservation and youth capacity building across the Asia-Pacific region.