The inaugural Design Shenzhen, held 27th February - 2 March 2023 as a new show that built on the reputation of the more established Design Shanghai, was deemed a success as the show held at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, across the border from Hong Kong, injected new vitality into the design community of the Greater Bay Area.
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| Shenzhen is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China, on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong to the south. |
Organisers said the show welcomed 40,326 visitors and hosted over 250 curated brands tailored to architects, interior designers, property developers as well as the design-savvy public.
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| Design Shenzhen welcomed 40,326 high-end trade visitors, leading architects, interior designers, influential property developers from the Greater Bay Area, China’s elite professional buyers and specifiers, key decision makers from the private and public sectors, and affluent design aware consumers. |
It provided a journey into the future and spotlighted cutting-edge design and technology through global product launches, immersive installations, a programme of talks and feature areas.
While Design Shanghai is widely regarded as Asia’s largest and most influential design fair, Shenzhen has become the third city to host Asia's leading design exhibition and was the largest curated event of its kind ever seen in the city.
Zhuo Tan, Managing Director of Clarion Events Shanghai Limited, "Design Shenzhen joined Design Shanghai and Design China Beijing in creating Asia’s largest network of annual design shows. The combined events have successfully created a continuous and comprehensive design platform that promotes the vigorous development of China's design industry.”
Raymond Wang, Show Director of Design Shenzhen, “We set out to make an impact within Asia and the international stage with Design Shenzhen, spotlighting China's first 'City of Design' designated by UNESCO as a host for this cutting-edge design event. Design Shenzhen brought industry pioneers in the fields of design, culture, creativity together and showcased the vitality of design within the city.”
International brands that participated in this show included Ligne Roset, Roche Bobois, Caesarstone, DURAVIT, Occhio, Aritco, Living Italy, PPG, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle and Villeroy & Boch.
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| Roche Bobois was one of the participating international brands at Design Shenzhen. |
In addition local brands such as Akyaya, Unicoggetto, Deco Deco, Casarte, VINEKO, HOPE SPACE, Beijing Contemporary and the Shenzhen based WE GALLERY highlighted Chinese culture, creativity and design styles; including local designer brand Frank Chou Design Studio which showcased its classic ORBIT sofa and Lento chair, showing the combination of art and practicality.
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| Frank Chou Design Studio showcased its classic ORBIT sofa and Lento chair. |
A curated Features programme focused on the latest industry trends, innovations and collaborations.
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| Audi at Design Shenzhen |
Among the exhibitors was car maker Audi which showcased its vision for premium mobility in China’s Greater Bay Area by immersing visitors in a world of forward-thinking technology, design aesthetics and sustainability solutions embodied in the RS e-tron GT, a dynamically styled four-door coupe.
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| Good Design Select presented dozens of cutting edge, award-winning designs to Shenzhen. |
Good Design Select was curated by industrial designer Xiaoxi Shi in a collaboration with G-MARK JAPAN GOOD DESIGN AWARD. This section presented dozens of cutting edge, award-winning designs to Shenzhen, reflecting comprehensive design values and principles that aim to enrich lives, industries and society. It was the first domestic event to present the 64-year history and achievements of GOOD DESIGN AWARD.
Meanwhile another feature was Future Home designed by Feng Zhifeng and Zhou Jianjie, together with the A Park brand to create an inspiring future home space in a conceptual, cross-border and diversified way.
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| Sony Design exhibited for the first time in China with their exhibition ‘Natural Resonance’, which spotlighted Sony's cutting-edge technology and sustainable development practices. A series of visual, auditory, and haptic sensory effects enabled visitors to be immersed and experience the cycle of natural life and our resonance with nature. |
WellConnect was an experimental exhibition co-curated by Design Shenzhen, David Hugh and Li Zhefeng, focusing on new ways of living in forward-thinking home and work spaces, exploring the human connection to technology and presenting innovative lighting solutions for health and wellbeing. A "meditation cave" provided visitors with a sensory journey of sound and light. Industry pioneers and thought leaders including technology brand Dose and lighting brand Ostuni were invited to demonstrate how technology and design will affect one's body, mind, work and living; how it inspires and leads more people to create healthier spaces and experiences in their daily lives and to explore a better solution for the coexistence of people, environment and technology.
Announced at the fair was the Rural Futures Award, which marked China's first architectural practice award for sustainable rural construction, designed to recognize the architectural practice in the field of rural construction with an emphasis on exploring the value of sustainability, and to form a guide for sustainable rural revitalization. The Awards were coordinated by the young architecture community platform APT (Architecture Practice Talks). The Construction Award was awarded to Linden Centre in Dali Shaxi by Wu Mengqian, SuiPingYiLi Architecture Studio and their project Yaoli Village Courier Station won the Reactivation Award and Studio Dali Architects won the Symbiosis Award for ‘Live Together Under One Roof’, a series of architecture design projects of Xiaoshi Village in Pengzhou, Sichuan Province, China.
Separately a Design Forum provided an international leading platform for creative pioneers from all over the world to exchange design ideas and deliver cutting-edge design concepts. Speakers at Design Shenzhen included: Dan Su, Chairman of the Interior Design Branch of the Architectural Society of China who delivered a keynote speech on ‘Creating Dreams with Color’, Robert Greenwood, Partner and Managing Director Asia of Snøhetta and Cheng Gong, Studio Director Shenzhen of Snøhetta, delivered a talk on ‘Design for Well-Being’, Satoshi Ohashi, Architect Director of Zaha Hadid Architects gave a speech on ‘Responsive Design’, Peter Schubert, Design Partner at Ennead Architects LLP led a talk on ‘Architectural Design-The Key to Restructuring Urban Life’, and Gaetano Scintilla Chairman of WAD and Design Director at VALÈ spoke on technology and the future at the talk ‘Back to Oasis’.
The next edition of Design Shenzhen returns to the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center from 14-17 March 2024.
All images from Design Shenzhen.
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