The opening ceremony of Beijing International Biennale (BIB) of International Stage Design Students Works Exchange 2014 (ISDSWE) was held on the morning of October 10th in the Experimental Theatre, Dongcheng District, the Central Academy of Drama (CAD). Michael Ramsaur, executive vice-chairman of International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects, and Technicians (OISTAT) & honorary professor of Central Academy of Drama, Ian Evans, chairman of Education Commission of OISTAT, Marina Raytchinova, executive member of OISTAT, Sun Daqing, professor and director of the Stage Design Department in the Central Academy of Drama, Zhang Qingshan, professor and deputy director of the Central Academy of Drama, and professor Tian Dan attended the opening ceremony and made a address. Besides, professor Cao Lin, president of the Chinese Association of Stage Design (CASD), professor Li Wei, director of the Stage Design Department in National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, professor Aori Lige, director of the Art Department in Beijing Film Academy, professor Liu Yonghua, deputy director of the Stage Design Department in Shanghai Theatre Academy and other distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony.

Over 90 representatives of teachers and students from 26 colleges and universities around the world including from China, and over 300 teachers and students from the Stage Design Department in Central Academy of Drama were present at the opening ceremony. 20 colleges and universities from abroad were: Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama(UK), University Of London Wimbledon College Of Art (UK), Stanford University (USA), Auburn University (USA), Pennsylvania State University (USA), Moscow Art Theatre School (Russia), York University (Canada), National School of Theatre Arts (Mexico), Europäische Medien und Event Akademie (Germany), Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw (Poland), Instituut Lichtontwerpen (Holland), Toneelacademie Maastricht (Holland), Hungarian University of Fine Arts (Hungary), Aalto University(Finland), National Academy of Art of Sofia (Bulgaria), Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad University (Serbia), Universidade Estadual do Parana Federal University of Paraná (Brazil), University of Melbourne Victorian College of the Arts (Australia), Chung-Ang University (Korea), Seokyeong University (Korea), De La Salle University College of St. Benilde (Philippines). 6 universities from China were Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, National Academy 0f Chinese Theatre Arts, Beijing Film Academy and Beijing Dance Academy of China.

At the annual meeting held in Cardiff in 2013, the Education Commission of OISTAT made an important decision to name ISDSWE partly as BIB in order to raise the popularity of the exhibition. BIB is to be held every two years in a hope to gain continued development and attract more outstanding colleges across the world to participate in. One prize, Outstanding Young Designer Award, also called Crystal Cube, three nomination awards, Honorable Mention Outstanding Young Designer and several outstanding awards are to be set up in BIB. Exhibitors will receive formal world-level exhibition certificate and awards will be exmained and voted by the international review committee.

Workshops and lectures for three days were carried out in the campus of the Central Academy of Drama in Dongcheng District from October 10 to October 13. Professional lectures were respectively given by professor Zhang Qingshan of Central Academy of Drama, professor Tian Dan, professor Elena Drevaleva of Moscow Art Theatre School and professor Joseph Mercurio of University of Melbourne Victorian College of the Arts. The theme of this workshop is “Silk Road”. 32 students from colleges abroad and over 40 students from China collaborated with each other to complete the work of “Design and Performance”, which was performed in the Black Box Theatre in the Central Academy of Drama in Dongcheng District on the night of October 13 with the awarding ceremony of BIB 2014 at the same time after the performance.