Xing Lili (R), Han Jiaying (2nd R) and others look at the sculptures by Xiang Jing at Ping An IFC on Dec. 20.

Five design industry heavyweights gathered Dec. 20 afternoon to share their insights on Shenzhen’s creative industry and Creative December, an initiative started in 2005 to foster innovation across the city and to get the public involved.

The event, the third of four seminars held at Ping An IFC in Futian District, is a highlight of Creative December.

As China’s first UNESCO “City of Design” inducted into the Creative Cities Network in 2008, Shenzhen has led Chinese cities in the design industry, whose trail of growth is market-driven and autonomous, according to Zhang Yuxing, director of the academic committee of Urbanism\Architecture Bi-City Biennale (UABB) of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Back in 2004, many people in Shenzhen were asking if the city could be something other than the world’s factory and found its next growth point. In 2005, Zhang and his colleagues initiated the UABB to showcase and promote exchanges between Shenzhen and Hong Kong’s design industries. “Shenzhen has the best graphic designers and interior designers, who have thrived on market demands and influence from their peers in neighboring Hong Kong,” Zhang explained.

Han Jiaying, guest professor with Central Academy of Fine Arts, said Shenzhen is a magnet for young designers with its vibrant economy and readiness to embrace talents. “The Shenzhen Graphic Design Association is a paradigm of democracy, whose chairman and management are elected by all members every two years. In the local graphic design circle, you talk with your works,” he said.

Zhang Zhiyang, an architect born and raised in Shenzhen, praised the city government for its respect for professional opinions in urban planning. “It’s common practice for the city’s building projects to choose a winning design through global competition. Back in 2019, my team’s design was chosen as the winner for Guangming Science City. We designed a walking path surrounding the area, with rest stops along the way. That design asked for 10%-20% of several commercial complexes to be used as public spaces, which we didn’t expect to materialize. But the local government stuck to the original plan to make the project more user-friendly.”

Art and design have not only grown into a thriving industry in Shenzhen, but actually improved people’s lives, Zhang Yuxing said, citing as an example the renovation of Shajing Marketplace in Bao’an District.

“We did a ‘micro’ uplift project in 2019 and retained the majority of the ancient buildings in the neighborhood, which have been there for hundreds of years,” Zhang said. “We also invited several artists to display their works in the open spaces. The local children took interest in one exhibit consisting of small transparent acrylic boxes and took them home as souvenirs or prized toys. The artist who created the exhibit was at first angry but later accepted it as a blessing, because these small boxes may help preserve this eye-opening experience in the children’s mind and encourage them to pursue beyond the ‘sixpence.’” Zhang mentioned that four years later when he paid a visit back to the village, he was amazed to find that the place was as clean as when they curated the exhibition, “much tidier than it used to be before the uplift.”

Emceed by Han Zhanning, a designer and curator, the seminar also discussed the role of Creative December. All five, including fashion designer Xing Lili, agreed that the initiative is an opportunity for industry insiders to participate in brainstorming sessions and discuss such forward-looking issues as the role of artificial intelligence in art and design, and the future trends of the industry. “The occasion is also a citywide carnival to get the public involved in art and design,” Xing said.

On the sideline of the seminars, a contemporary art exhibition titled “Echo in the Free Sky” is being held on the 116th floor of Ping An IFC until the end of January, featuring the works of Anish Kapoor, Zhan Wang, Xiang Jing and others.