Remembering a pioneer

An ongoing exhibition at the Tsinghua University Art Museum celebrates Lei Guiyuan, through his manuscripts, drafts, paintings, calligraphic pieces, ceramics and textiles based on his designs. Lin Qi reports.

'Poetry is about life. So it is with design," said Lei Guiyuan (1906-89), the father of Chinese modern design. Lei, who heralded the modernization of Chinese design, founded the country's first designers group, the Shanghai Industrial Artists Association, in 1934.

Lei, who published several design books based on his study of traditional handicrafts and antiques, also helped establish China's first modern design school in Chengdu in 1939, the "wartime capital" during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).