The XXII International Exhibition of La Triennale di Milano is taking place from 1 March to 1 September 2019, under the theme "Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival".On February 28 a ceremony attended by Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of Italy, opened the 22nd Triennale di Milano.

Tongji University College of Design and Innovation is invited by Triennale Foundation and CCPIT to participate the 22nd Triennale di Milano with Tsinghua University and Shanghai Academy of Art as China pavilion.

To echo the theme of XXII Triennale di Milano “Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival”, Lou Yongqi, the chief curator of Tongji section, titles Tongji exhibition “[PĪNG PĀNG]：URBAN/RURAL COMMUNITY BUlLDING FOR OUR COMMON FUTURE”, and presents two projects currently being undertaken by our school: DESIGN Harvests and NICE 2035. Both initiatives—situated respectively in rural and urban contexts—investigate and catalyze interactions between urban and rural, with the aim of enabling each to develop its unique merits while supporting the values and livelihoods of its counterpart.

Urban and rural areas, like “yin and yang,” can be seen as codependent parts of a better human future. They reciprocally transform and enable each other in a relationship that can be described by the Chinese proverb “Co-existence makes both prosper; mutual destruction leads to mutual failure instead.”

How design and design thinking can play an active role in achieving a balance between urban and rural is key to the sustainable development of our societies. Among myriad explorations, the College of Design & Innovation (D&I) at Tongji University focuses on promoting positive interactions between urban and rural communities (people), culture (ideas), economies (products and services), and environments (spaces) through a series of interrelated, mutually reinforcing micro-strategies and interventions. 

The installation named “pīng pāng” (table tennis), created by curator, shows a back-and-forth process through which knowledge and practice act in concert, with one always advancing the other.