China Design Now is part of a broader UK festival ‘CHINA NOW’ launched in 2008 as the largest ever celebration of Chinese culture from art, comics, film to design and music. Its aim is to highlight the recent explosion in Chinese design and architecture as well as explore how design in China is affected by the country’s rapid economic development. The exhibition could not have been more timely as China is drawing universal attention with its current affairs and cultural events.

The exhibition is split into 3 parts, each dedicated to a city in China: Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. All, we are told at the beginning of the exhibition, are full of spectacular creative energy, shaped by their own traditions and global influences. As we turn the corner ready to embrace ‘China Design Now’, Shenzhen emerges as an epicentre of witty, guerrilla graphic design. Permeated with deep culture references, Chinese mythology and characteristic symbols, the posters, books and other typographic studies almost require an interpreter. Like ancient scripts, each object requires a wealth of knowledge and thorough reading of the short explanations provided by the curators to fight the inability of grasping the whole breadth of cultural meanings and connotations. There is sarcastic humour in ‘self violence’ by Chen Shaohua, with a grotesque split fist turning on itself; clear cut graphics in Alan Chan’s illustration to his concept ‘good design is functional like chopsticks’ and mysteriously presented hieroglyphs standing out like proud and silent symbols of an ancient empire. The first graphic design attempts are clearly influenced by the folk arts and Chinese traditional identity.

Designs get a more familiar outlook and meaning by 1980, when Chinese magazine covers got the globalised ‘ultra modern’ look, and searched relentlessly for their new identity. Whilst the earlier graphic images were solid and humorous, the 1980 and 1990s looks are transitional and extremely Westernised, nonetheless showcasing highly distinguished designs and animations - original, dreamlike and interesting.

Shanghai is the second city we enter. Immediately neon, highly lucrative, dreamlike and dangerous. The quirky designs, arty magazine covers and bar interiors set the scene for the ‘Paris of the Orient’, an admirably ultra-modern, desirable and risky city. Shanghai gets a deeper perspective through the study and exploration of its values and intangible symbols of success, wittingly showcased in ‘Great Family Expectations’ and laid bare in ‘Dream Homes’ by Vanke Co. Houses. The middle class perfection and life aspirations together with the perfectly groomed settings of an idealised home wouldn’t be out of place in Wisteria Lane, the not so fictional setting of ‘Desperate Housewives’. In fact, the words of Xing Danwen ‘urban life in China today is lonely, psychologically distant and devoid of a sense of reality’, express Shanghai’s personality. It is all about crude Image, Perception and ultra successful Perfection.

Walking into the room dedicated to Beijing is like being ten years old again and watching Star Wars for the first time. Extremely futuristic and unrecognisable shapes float, stand, flash and surround you. The ultra modern architectural designs and an ambitious airport model all prove a point: there is a Parallel Empire looming out of the computerised drawings, which speaks its own design language and dreams of bigger than life, perfectioned reality. Though there are a couple of more ‘human friendly’ designs pushed along the walls of the room, the centre stage is set for the Olympic Games preparation. The designs and especially the film presentation ‘Digital Beijing’, although slightly alienating with their futurism and ambition, provoke sudden curiosity and a burning desire to visit that Parallel World, so mysterious and dangerous but ever appealing. There is an instant excitement about landing in this state of the art cosmic airport and getting a glance of a different universe, hyped up and marketed for an upcoming release, much similar to a new playstation game.

I leave overwhelmed and slightly confused. There is a lot on show but rather than ‘China Design Now’, there is China Designs Now - a selection of design works and an ongoing research project. This exhibition is a spectacular snapshot of the themes and aspirations of what is to become the world’s leading economy. After visiting ‘China Design Now’, one can definitely see why.

Till 13 July 2008

The Battle for China is a one day satellite conference of the Battle of Ideas festival and part of the CHINA NOW festival, organised by the Institute of Ideas in association with CHINA NOW and leading international legal practice Norton Rose LLP in London on 12 July 2008.