On November 28, a lecture entitled, "Dialogue Across Time: Unlocking the Urban Memory Behind Wuhan's Historic Buildings" was held in Classroom B219 of Wutonghu Campus, HXIT. Co-organized by HXIT’s Business School and General Education School, the lecture was part of the "Zhichu · Yumei" (Understanding Chu · Cultivating Aesthetics) general education series and featured Jia Heng, an oil painter from Yungongshan Art Center.

Jia Heng shared her exploration of integrating Eastern and Western artistic concepts, based on her training at Hubei Institute of Fine Arts and overseas experience. Using nearly 30 of her oil paintings of Wuhan's historic buildings—including Jianghan Customs Building and Wuhan Water Tower—she analyzed the architectural history and her creative philosophy. She emphasized that the works are not mere sketches but artistic reconstructions based on extensive historical research, with a focus on highlighting the buildings themselves by stripping away surrounding details to focus squarely on the structures. For Hankou Western Merchants' Racecourse, she blended documentary accuracy with expressive brushwork to reflect the East-West cultural integration and historical changes in old Hankou.

Concluding the lecture, Jia Heng cited architect Liang Sicheng’s research on Yingzao Fashi (Treatise on Architectural Methods), noting that protecting and reproducing Wuhan's historic buildings constitutes a cross-temporal dialogue of civilizations. Some students said they were inspired by Jia’s passion and craftsmanship, and recognized the need for business students to adopt a humanistic perspective in safeguarding urban historical heritage.

The lecture connected art with history ,enhancing students’ understanding of Wuhan’s development and awareness of cultural heritage protection. HXIT will continue to advance aesthetic education to strengthen young students’ cultural confidence and encourage them to protect and pass on urban cultural heritage.