In a new light

Ding Ping says her work as a light designer relies on experience and imagination.

"Glass can't reflect light. In this way, we are bargaining with the clients about the material. We demanded the interior should have a high surface reflectivity," Ding says.

"It varies according to the materials you use. All the designs can be illustrated by 'samples', but only lighting design can't."

But designs for such commercial spaces are only part of Ding's work.

She also does stage lighting and art shows.

The shows are installations that use reflective materials, such as steel or glass, to show artists' ideas about life.

She has initiated the Switch on Beijing International Lighting Festival three times, inviting top international lighting designers, including Andrea Momo Destro and Koert Vermeulen.

Ding showed Light Wheels there. Her work was a wheelchair, whose wheels were decorated with small lights.

She says her inspiration came from an urge to encourage a friends' 17-year-old daughter whose injuries have led her to use a wheelchair.

"Light means hope in all cultures," Ding says.

"I also hope the public will pay more attention to the disabled."