Helen Deng

    deng.hneng@gmail.com

    WHILE Shenzhen has gained an international reputation for rapid economic growth in the past three decades, the city has also become a rising star in the international design field.

    Shenzhen architects have designed many famous projects such as the Water Cube in Beijing. Nearly 60 percent of the women’s clothes in first-class shopping malls in China are Shenzhen brands. Shenzhen-based graphic designers such as Wang Yuefei and Han Jiaying have won numerous international awards.

    To mark the city’s achievements in the design field, the 1st Shenzhen Design Exhibition is being held at Guan Shanyue Art Museum. The exhibition chronicles landmark events in the history of Shenzhen design, introduces the major design centers and art venues in the city, and shows the works of influential Shenzhen designers. The design is sponsored by Shenzhen Creative Culture Center.

    It is the most complete exhibition to show Shenzhen’s design power after the city became the UNESCO City of Design in 2008, the first Chinese city to win the title, according to curator Sun Zhenhua.

    “The exhibition is a tribute to the city of Shenzhen,” said Sun, who is also the deputy chairman of Association of Chinese Sculptors and art director of Shenzhen Public Art Center.

    “To a large degree, Shenzhen is defined by design. Shenzhen designers greatly affect the image and life of the city,” Sun said.

    According to the organizer, the exhibition will tour the city after being concluded at Guan Shanyue Art Museum on June 17. The exhibition boards, made from dried skin of sugar cane, can easily be transported because they can be made into containers, a creative design by Bi Xuefeng, art director of the exhibition.

    “Shenzhen was the gateway to the Chinese mainland in the early years of reform and opening up. The combination of Western culture and traditional culture created a unique design culture in Shenzhen. As a result, Shenzhen is a strong design base for many sectors, especially the graphic design sector,” said Wu Hong, head of the Art & Design School of Shenzhen University.

    However, as Shenzhen is facing increasingly fierce competition from inland cities, it should make more efforts to attract designers to keep its competitive edge, Wu said.