The 2026 UNESCO Creative Cities Design Forum was held in Shanghai recently. The PBL project "Dunhuang Meta-Realm: Future Fashion Expression Driven by Smart Garments and Interactive Imagery," submitted by the School of Future Design of Beijing Normal University (BNU), was selected as a UNESCO outstanding practice case for "When AI Meets Design".

The "Dunhuang Meta-Realm" project was supervised by Liu An and Luo Yingqi, faculty members of the School of Future Design, and involved students Han Jianbo, Qiu Shanying, Chen Shuhan, Nazakait Yimit, Li Yujia, Zhang Doudou, Nie Jingyu, Wu Yixuan, Hui Xinru, Zhu Zihui, and Li Xinlu. Grounded in Dunhuang mural art, the project explores contemporary expressions of traditional culture through the integrated design of digital imagery, sensing installations, and smart wearable systems.

The call for good practice cases was initiated by the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, inviting cultural institutions, design professionals, and innovators worldwide to submit practice cases in which AI empowers culture and the creative sector. The call received more than 130 submissions from 15 countries and over 40 cities. After review, 14 were selected as international good practice cases and 19 as Chinese good practice cases. The selection of "Dunhuang Meta-Realm" reflects the School of Future Design's active exploration in integrating AI with design, digitally reinterpreting traditional culture, and shaping future fashion expression.