Song Jianming is a professor, PhD supervisor and deputy director of the academic committee of the China Academy of Art (CAA).

He is a recipient of special government allowance from the State Council, and he has taken up lots of part-time posts in government bodies, social organizations and academic institutes. For instance, he is a national chief science communication expert in color science with the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), vice president of the China Fashion & Color Association, a member of the Advisory Committee for Policy-making with CAST, and design director of the Organizing Committee of the 19th Asian Games (Hangzhou 2022).

Song studied dyeing and weaving at the CAA from September 1978 to July 1982 and then worked at the university after graduation. He won a French government scholarship from 1985 to 1987. Funded by the China Scholarship Council, he conducted his studies on color science at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris as a visiting scholar and researcher from 1990 to 1993 and from 2000 to 2001.

Song was vice president of the CAA from 2001 to 2005. He has been conferred with a number of awards and titles such as the 15th Dragon Design Award for Special Achievements (2019) – Gold Medal of the Chinese Design Contribution Award, and Nominee of Top 70 Chinese Designers in Celebration of the 70th Founding Anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Professional Background

1. Research in Color Science

Song has founded a teaching system for the major of color design at the CAA. The major is composed of teaching and research activities for undergraduate students (enrollment started in 2013), graduate students (enrollment began in 1998) and doctoral students (enrollment began in 2006).

Song has been preoccupied with the education of graduate students majoring in color research and special planning for the aging society. He won the 1993 Young Teachers Fund of the Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation for his research project on basic theories and systematic application of color science, which completed the building of China's standardized application of the color system, which features more than 3,000 isochromatic spectrums. His academic program on the planning method of urban colors in China was on the list of the National Art Science Planning's Research Programs in 2005.

His other academic project on the planning method of urban colors in Zhejiang province was on the list of Zhejiang Major Academic Programs for Philosophy and Social Science in 2005.

Moreover, he was a leading figure in the formulation of architectural chromatography for traditional water towns in South China commissioned by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

2. Color Planning and Design

Song has accomplished color planning for more than 100 cities, new and old towns, and islands, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Macao, with an overall planning area of 6,000 square kilometers over the past two decades. During the Shanghai Expo in 2010, he was commissioned to design the red color scheme for China Pavilion and acted as the chief designer to build the VIP area in China Pavilion. He also worked as artistic director for the planning of exhibitions at City Being Pavilion and Hangzhou Pavilion Urban Best Practices Area with a theme of "harnessing five waters."

Song presided over color planning and project design for Nanjing South Railway Station, Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center and Hangzhou Subway. Furthermore, he has taken part in the design and planning of more than 20 large-scale projects in Hangzhou.

3. Major Publications

Song has published more than 150 papers about color science and art criticism in academic journals at home and abroad. For instance, his research work entitled "Color Codes of Traditional Chinese Architecture" has been published in POUR LA SCENCE, DOSSIER COULEUR and Spektrum der WISSENSCHAFT (January 2000).

His City Colors of Macao (published by Macao's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and CAA in 2009), Basics for Design Modeling (published by Shanghai Painting & Calligraphy Publishing House in 2000) and Color Design in France (published by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House in 1999) have a combined word count of more than 1.5 million words.