HUTB Alumnus Xiong Chao's Team Wins Grand Prix at Clio Music Awards
2025-03-14
Recently, Xiong Chao, a distinguished alumnus of HUTB School of Art & Design, together with his team members, won a Grand Prix at the Clio Music Awards, the highest global accolade in advertising, for their short film Magnificent, making him the first Chinese and Asian creative professional to receive this prestigious award.
The Clio Awards, alongside the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and D&AD, are recognized as the three major advertising awards globally. The Music Grand Prix category has historically been dominated by top-tier European and American teams. This breakthrough by Xiong Chao's team signifies international creative community’s recognition of China’s cultural narrative capabilities, while also reflecting the Chinese advertising industry's transition from a "follower" to a "leader". Jury President Laura Gregory praised at the awards ceremony: "Magnificent recalibrates the coordinates of cultural expression, revealing the universal power inherent in Eastern aesthetics to the world."
Magnificent, a 6-minute film set in the ancient city of Yotkan in Xinjiang, originates from Xiong Chao’s reverent inquiry into cultural expressions. Every frame depicting the ancient city of Yotkan in the film is derived from the team's on-site fieldwork, with over 2,000 hours of raw footage ultimately distilled into a six-minute symphony of light and shadow. Featuring a cast entirely composed of local residents, the work radiates an earthy authenticity rooted in daily life, resonating with audiences across linguistic and cultural boundaries. The uncompromising artistic pursuit behind Magnificent has not only earned it a Clio Award, but also garnered tens of millions of views on Chinese social media platforms, sparking a surge in tourism to Xinjiang and achieving dual success in artistic merit and societal impact.
The Nine Shanghai, an independent creative agency founded by Xiong Chao, has won numerous international awards including Cannes Lions and D&AD in recent years, establishing itself as a distinguished symbol of Chinese creativity in the global advertising industry.
(Reported by School of Art & Design)
