Senior Tsinghua professor preaches design innovation in Xi'an

Phase 32 of Xi'an Design Lecture was held in Xi'an Innovation Design Center with the special report on the theme of Design for the Future delivered by senior Tsinghua professor Liu Guanzhong on March 30.

Professor Liu Guanzhong delivers report at the lecture. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Co-sponsored by the Silk Road Innovative Design Industry Alliance, the Management Committee of Xi'an Beilin District Industrial Belt around Universities and Xi'an Design Federation, the lecture attracted more than 700 participants from Beilin district government, universities, design institutions and enterprises.

Professor Liu led to the connotation of industrial design by describing his own design experience, that is, to adapt to the environment, and at the same time, to solve problems.

“What is design? It shouldn’t only consider what we see on the surface, but also installation, production, maintenance and so on,” Professor Liu said in his report and shared many brainstorming designs such as shared kitchen, mobile residence, fast and convenient boarding process.

“Design is the innovation of lifestyle. We should change the habit of crazy consumption, not encourage possession, but advocate the use and establish a shared lifestyle,” the professor said.

Liu said that industrial design is not only the design of an object, but rather what is being designed should be able to produce, manufacture, circulate, use and recycle. A designer without systematic thinking is not a good designer.

Nie Wenbin, deputy director of Beilin District, said that Beilin District, as the core area of Xi'an city, is one of the downtown areas with the most intensive scientific and technological talents and achievements in the city, the province and even the whole country.

Nie Wenbin delivers a speech at the lecture. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

“In recent years, Beilin District has taken many measures to vigorously promote the development of innovative design and have built the Xi'an Innovative Design Center. It has initiated the establishment of Xi'an Design Federation and Silk Road Innovative Design Industry Alliance, held the first Eurasian Economic Forum---Silk Road International Innovative Design Week, Silk Road Star Innovative Design Competition and Xi'an Design Lecture as well as other innovative design activities. The impact of innovative design has been constantly enhanced,” Nie said.

Chen Tianning delivers a speech at the lecture. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The lecture was chaired by Chen Tianning, director of the Department of Industrial Design of Xi'an Jiaotong University and vice-chairman of the Industrial Design Branch of Shaanxi Mechanical Engineering Society, and many netizens were in attendance to watch the live broadcast online at the same time, together with Professor Liu Guanzhong to seriously explored how to change the future with design.