Designs on life

This weeklong festival celebrates the joys - and the practical side - of creativity, Sun Yuanqing reports.

It might be a headache to find a place to hide from all the crowds during the coming national holidays. But one of the answers could be Beijing Design Week, or BJDW, the annual week-long carnival celebrating all things design-related.

This year's event covers seven key sections, from professional platforms for design entrepreneurs to activities targeted at the general public all over the city, according to the organizing committee.

This year, it has even reached out to Tianjin and Hebei province, echoing the national strategy to integrate the three areas in economic development.

The event kicked off with Design Night on Sept 26, a night of gathering and celebrating for the local and international design community at the China Millennium Monument. The BJDW Design Awards this year went to China's high-speed railway for its "fusion of grand design and high-tech", out of a pool of 10 candidates that included the APEC leaders' attire, Taobao.com and the National Center for the Performing Arts.

The 2015 Beijing Design Fair, hosted by BJDW and the National Base for International Cultural Trade, continues through Oct 7 at the Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone Culture Free Port, as a B2B platform for international design trade.

At the same time, an exchange platform for startups has been set up at the Design Service Center, a national incubator for design innovation.

Smart City, BJDW's effort to regenerate modern cities with city planning and architecture, employs the theme of "Bringing Together City Energy and Creating Smart Future" this year. It will stage three exhibitions, Exhibition of 10x100 - UED 100 Architects in the Past Decade, Beyond Architecture and Pavilion of Today and Future, all of which are free to the public during the holiday at the China Millennium Monument. Two forums, Design for China and Urban Renaissance 2050, will explore the future of the cities.

"This year, we focus on the idea of 'design for the city'," says Zeng Hui, an official with the organizing committee for BJDW.

"We want to explore how the cities can become better places for living through design, as Beijing is sharpening in its function as a capital city."

Design Hop, the most popular segment of BJWD, remains its roots in the streets and communities of Beijing, especially in the 751D-Park and Dashilar hutong area.

In Dashilar, where designers, architects and urban planners have spent years on exploring organic ways to revitalize the hutong area, things are going steady.

This year, there is the Humble Hostel project by architect Cao Pu, which converts a crowded yard into a hostel. There are lights and tableware products inspired by local craftsmen, and fashion and design concept stores around the area.

"Design Hop was initiated as a way for the general public to know about design and to be interested. Now it has developed into a platform for more people to participate in their own ways," says Chen Dongliang, another BJDW organizer.

Dutch designers continue to join forces this year, showcasing their creative power through the exhibition The Nurturing House by Next City Living Lab. The exhibition explores the future of city through architecture models, installations and even cuisine created by Dutch and Chinese architects and designers.

BJDW features Dubai and Seoul as its guest cities this year, following the presence of Barcelona, Milan and Amsterdam in the past. The Dubai guest city exhibition will feature some of the most cutting-edge design works from the country.

Across Chinese Cities - Beijing, an exhibition on the urban evolvement in Beijing co-curated by BJDW's creative director Beatrice Leanza, was on show at the 2014 Architecture Biennale in Venice. A new exhibition will be presented at the 2016 Architecture Biennale, as part of BJDW's effort to promote China's cultural assets on the global stage.

Contact the writer at sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn