Over 10,000 visitors admired the latest design concepts and products from around the world during the three-day World Industrial Design Expo in Yantai, Shandong province from Oct 18-20.

Over 2,000 international design organizations, design institutes, enterprises, universities, and designers were invited to the esteemed industrial design event to discuss how design can be used in various industries.

A visitor admires a model of the independently-designed train by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co during the expo in Yantai, Shandong province on Oct 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to the organizer, initial cooperation agreements were reached for 80 projects during the expo. Ten projects, including the Shandong Provincial Industrial Design Institute and the Yantai International Design Town, officially got underway.

The Design Industry Declaration, announced during the expo, stated that the era of the design industry has begun, making design a new major area of innovation alongside technology and business models. Experts said that this has far-reaching significance for industrial transformation and upgrading in China and the rest of the world.

Yantai has become a pioneer in industrial design, as the first World Industrial Design Association and the China Unified Innovation University of Industrial Design were established in the city during the expo.