Chongqing - Chongqing earned the "City of Design" title on October 31, joining UNESCO's Creative Cities Network—the first in Western China and fifth in the country. Addressing new opportunities, design experts gathered at Chongqing's Hinterland's Wisdom Forum on December 21 to discuss the city's future development.

On December 21, the Hinterland's Wisdom Forum, themed "From China's Hinterland Wisdom to the World's City of Design," opened at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing. (Photo/Sichuan Fine Arts Institute)

From China's hinterland wisdom to the world's city of design, Professor Fang Xiaofeng, Vice Dean of Tsinghua University's School of Arts and Design, chaired the first half of the forum. He said, "Chongqing deserves the title 'City of Design.' The rise of Chongqing's design is driven by local culture, and this cultural empowerment will continue to be evident in the future."

Professor Fang Xiaofeng, Vice Dean of Tsinghua University's School of Arts and Design, chaired the first half of the forum. (Photo/Sichuan Fine Arts Institute)

Zhao Gang, a member of the Party Group of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, outlined the journey of Chongqing from being an 8D magical city to an 8D City of Design. He discussed the strategic opportunities for Chongqing to become a City of Design and the foundation of the design industry's development in Chongqing. 

What impact does the "City of Design" designation have on a city? Researcher Zhang Yuxing from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Shenzhen University shared some enlightening data. "After 15 years of being the first 'City of Design' in China, Shenzhen now boasts over 30 listed design companies, more than 33,000 design agencies, and a workforce exceeding 220,000 design professionals."

On December 21, the Hinterland's Wisdom Forum, themed "From China's Hinterland Wisdom to the World's City of Design," opened at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing. (Photo/Sichuan Fine Arts Institute)

Professor Duan Shengfeng, Vice President of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (SCFAI), said, "SCFAI has always been dedicated to cultivating designers for the people."

He continued that over the years, the institute's faculty and students contributed to notable urban design projects, such as Yangtze River Bridge sculptures and Shenzhou spacecraft interiors equipment. They also designed the official logo for the Shenzhou-17 mission.​

Professor He Renke, Dean of the School of Design and Art at Hunan University, presented on the theme "City and Design." Drawing on the experience of constructing the Media Art Center in Changsha, he discussed the relationship between design and cities, using examples from cities such as Copenhagen, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, and Bilbao.

The forum presented the audience with a diverse academic feast. It was hosted by the SCFAI and featured 12 experts and scholars from institutions such as Shenzhen University, China Academy of Art, Tongji University, Hunan University, Beijing International Design, and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.