BEIJING, China – October 29, 2026 – Can traditional building techniques help address rural decline, preserve cultural heritage and create new economic opportunities? A youth-led project in Shanxi Province, China, offers a practical answer.
Revitalizing Intangible Heritage Cave Villas: Regeneration and Renewal Design for Abandoned Cave Dwellings in Shanxi has won the Da Vinci Gold Medal at the third You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award, selected from 2,316 submissions from young people around the world.
Developed by the Cultural Heritage & Intangible Heritage Lab at Mercury Academy, the project has moved beyond the design stage into operation. By transforming abandoned traditional cave dwellings into habitable spaces while retaining local building techniques and ecological knowledge, the team demonstrates how cultural heritage can contribute to contemporary rural development.
The project addresses two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): No Poverty and Sustainable Cities and Communities. It also raises a broader question: how can cultural heritage become not merely a record of the past, but a resource for addressing the challenges of the present?
From preservation to regeneration
The project is based in Wulonggou, Wenxi County, Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, where population aging and the continued migration of working-age residents have left many traditional cave dwellings vacant and deteriorating.
Rather than treating these structures solely as historical artifacts, the student team approached them as potential assets for rural renewal.
Through field research and project-based learning (PBL), students worked with local villagers, master artisans and architectural experts to develop and implement adaptive restoration solutions. The renovated dwellings preserve traditional earthen construction techniques and local ecological knowledge while accommodating contemporary living requirements.
The project draws on the natural thermal properties of earthen architecture, which can help maintain comfortable indoor temperatures across seasons and reduce energy demand. By combining heritage conservation with adaptive reuse, it offers a practical model for sustainable rural living that may be adapted to other communities in dry, cold-temperate regions.
The restored cave dwellings also create opportunities to connect traditional architecture with low-carbon cultural tourism, support local employment and generate more stable income for villagers. In this model, conservation and economic development are not competing priorities: cultural heritage becomes part of the infrastructure for a community’s future.
Image caption: Before-and-after comparison of the cave dwellings revitalized through the award-winning project in Shanxi, China.
Lv Yugui, a member of the award’s judging panel and chairman of Dianyi Space Cultural & Creative Industry Group, said the project demonstrated how traditional knowledge could be applied to contemporary problems.
“This project moves beyond the conventional model of presenting intangible cultural heritage in exhibitions and museums. Young people take ownership of research and design, drawing on traditional construction knowledge to address real-world challenges, including climate action and rural revitalization,” Lv said. “This captures the core ethos of the You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award: cultural heritage is not merely something to look back on. It can also be a living resource for solving the problems of the future.”
Tang Liang, a mentor in Mercury Academy’s Minerva Cornerstone Program and lead expert juror for the award, said the competition encouraged students to examine the relationship between poverty alleviation, cultural continuity and sustainable livelihoods.
“This year’s award invites young people to explore the global challenge of poverty eradication, examine how cultural traditions can be sustained and consider how the craftsmanship in people’s hands can become a source of sustainable income,” Tang said.
“Intangible cultural heritage is moving beyond emergency preservation toward a new phase of revitalization and regeneration. The task for this generation is to bring heritage out of exhibition halls, integrate it into everyday life and create the conditions for it to thrive.”
A global platform for youth innovation
Now in its third year, the You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award brings together young innovators from around the world to explore challenges through science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, alongside business education and social innovation.
Grounded in the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the award encourages participants to connect interdisciplinary learning with real-world problems. Its approach combines scientific inquiry, creative thinking, cultural understanding and project-based learning, with an emphasis on developing solutions that can be implemented beyond the classroom.
Registration opened in June 2026. Over more than 100 days, the award received 2,316 project submissions from young people worldwide. Following preliminary screening and a second round of expert review, 332 projects advanced to final judging.
The award recognized outstanding entries with Da Vinci Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, as well as the Da Vinci Global Ingenuity Award Top 100. In total, 133 projects and their young creators received recognition across the award categories.
The submissions addressed a broad range of issues, including environmental protection, educational access, resource recycling, traditional crafts, public health and sustainable communities. Together, they reflected the award’s central premise: young people can contribute to solving complex public challenges when given opportunities to investigate problems, work across disciplines and test their ideas in real-world settings.
Mary Wang, a representative of the organizing committee, said the award continued to connect local action with global sustainability goals.
“Over the past three years, the You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award has encouraged young people to think about the shared challenges facing humanity within the broader context of sustainable development,” Wang said. “While previous editions have covered a broad range of the Sustainable Development Goals, this year places particular emphasis on poverty.”
“We encourage young learners to draw on the wisdom of ancient civilizations while finding new ways to bring cultural heritage into contemporary life. We hope their ideas will grow from local communities and reach beyond them, contributing to the global conversation about sustainable development.”
From project-based learning to university pathways
The You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award is designed to be more than a competition. It provides a platform for young people to investigate real-world challenges, collaborate with relevant stakeholders, refine their ideas and demonstrate how academic knowledge can be applied in practice.
For participants, the process can involve navigating the gap between an appealing concept and a workable solution. In the Shanxi cave-dwelling project, for example, architectural design intersects with cultural history, environmental performance, community participation and rural economic development.
Anny Chan, former president and adviser to the Harvard China Education Forum and president of the Harvard Chinese Innovation Education Association, said that sustained project work could help students develop capabilities that extend beyond conventional academic exercises.
“A complete PBL cycle—from field investigation and collaborative creation to the iteration of solutions—helps young learners develop social awareness, agency and critical thinking,” Chan said. “These foundational capabilities are highly valued by selective universities around the world.”
The award also provides students with an opportunity to document their academic interests and demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge beyond the classroom. According to the organizing committee, past award-winning participants have subsequently received university offers from institutions in the United Kingdom’s G5 group and the University of California system, as well as other selective private universities and schools in the United States. Previous participants have also gained admission to academic programs at Yale and Harvard and participated in winter workshops at Cambridge.
These outcomes reflect the subsequent educational pathways of past award-winning participants, rather than guaranteed admissions benefits associated with participation in the competition.
Ultimately, the award’s significance lies not only in the number of submissions or medals presented, but also in the opportunities it creates for young people to connect learning with action. The Shanxi project offers one example: traditional architecture becomes a starting point for addressing heritage preservation, energy efficiency, livelihoods and the future of rural communities.
Image: Before-and-after renovation comparison for Revitalizing Intangible Heritage Cave Villas — Regeneration and Renewal Design for Abandoned Cave Dwellings in Shanxi
2026 Da Vinci Global Innovation Award: Official Honors Roll
Congratulations to all the young innovators recognized in the 2026 You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award.
Da Vinci Gold Medal
Revitalizing Intangible Heritage Cave Villas: Regeneration and Renewal Design for Abandoned Cave Dwellings in Shanxi
Tanxi LU, Zhekai CUI, Jingtong PAN, Pinxi CAI, Shunyu QIAO, Wenqi ZHENG, Liying HUANG and Yumo GUO
Da Vinci Silver Medal
Step Forward Chronicle — Tianni SHANG
Shared Cultural Roots — Chang LIU
Revitalizing Intangible Heritage: He-Shape Nine-Form Tai Chi Tea Ritual — Muchen JI
Beneath the Brush: Recorders Restoring the Four Seasons — Jingqian WANG
The Iris Plan: From School Refusal to Re-engagement — Research and Reflections on Youth School Absenteeism in China — Yike WANG, Peizhen LI and Muchen JI
Wukong’s Youth Odyssey — Educational Game PBL Project — Zhekai CUI, Peiling GU, Ailin JIANG, Liying HUANG, Muchen JI, Shunyu QIAO, Jingtong PAN, Siming PAN, Wenqi ZHENG and Xiaozhe ZHANG
Da Vinci Bronze Medal
Weave Whispers: Interactive PBL for Popularizing Traditional Embroidery Motifs — Leyan SHEN
Shadow Puppets Return to the Mountains — Selina FANG
Food Residue Symbiosis — Yining ZHOU
Green Power Mini Box — Jingxing SONG and Xiaoqing JI
Youth Facing the Wind: Birds and Silent Mountains — Xinhui YE
Regolith Vision: Sci-Fi Exploration of Desert Soil Improvement Engineering — Zeyu GU
Reef Restoration — Wanqing TANG
Algal Habitat Rebirth: Resource Recycling of Water Hyacinth — Qinghe XIANG
Zero-Cost Teaching Aid Workshop for Underdeveloped Township Schools — Xingyu JI
Low-Cost Tactile Teaching Aid for Braille Image Translation — Yichen WEN
Research on Misconceptions of Adolescents Around Green Consumption and PBL Guidance for Informed Sustainable Consumption — Haoqing PEI
Urban-Rural Youth Public Research Pairing to Close the Education Resource Gap — Yunchu JIANG
Da Vinci Global Ingenuity Award Top 100
The following projects and young creators were recognized in the Da Vinci Global Ingenuity Award Top 100 category. Names and ages are presented as supplied by the organizing committee.
Super Star Seedling Base | Jian Xingyi, 12
Little Chef AI Agent | Kevin LI, 7
Cloud Livestream Cargo Spaceship | Wu Mufan, 9
Future Rural General Store | Zhou Yu’an, 11
Solar-Powered Farm Support Hut | Xingnuo HUANG, 8; Qi LI
Star Rescue Team: Safeguarding Rural Beauty | Gu Xiaohang, 9
Smart Handicraft Weaving Studio | Su Wanqing, 8
Farming Mech Warrior | Qin Ziyang, 11
Intelligent Plant Factory | Ze FU, 10
Building a Poverty-Free World | Jiang Nianchu, 11
Space Ecological Farmland | Pei Yuhang, 10
Smart Water-Saving Micro Garden | Yuxuan WANG, 7
Kitchen Waste Magic Conversion Station | Le CHENG, 9
Future Vertical Farm, Fruit Everywhere | Song Jiahang, 10
Looking ahead to 2027
Pre-registration for the 2027 You Are Da Vinci Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award is now open.
Young people around the world who are interested in participating may search for the official WeChat account “You Are Da Vinci” to contact the organizing committee and request an application form.
The next edition will continue to invite young innovators to explore the connections between scientific inquiry, creative practice, cultural heritage and sustainable development—turning ideas rooted in local realities into solutions with the potential to make a difference around the world.
About You are Da Vinci：
The 3rd *You are Da Vinci* Global Youth STEAM Innovation Award wrapped up in Beijing. The top gold prize was awarded to a youth project that regenerates abandoned traditional cave dwellings in Shanxi into sustainable low-carbon homes. Aligned with the UN SDGs, the competition recognized 133 young innovators worldwide. Pre-registration for the 2027 edition is underway.
Media ContactCompany Name: Da VinciContact Person: Susan LeeEmail: Send EmailCity: BEIJINGCountry: ChinaWebsite: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LRmPuY-dbBMZJLZ361v-7g
