Contemporary design in China: the road to modernity and commercialization

'China's rising! The sleeping dragon is waking up!' It is common to see these kinds of headlines in the Western media about the recent development of People's Republic of China. In the foreseeable future, China is expected to become one of the world's biggest economic players. There is growing interest in the West about China's economic boom. The government, private sector and individuals are now revisiting 'Design' (or Sheji in Chinese) and beginning to recognize its importance in marketing promotion, rather than just as an ideological promotion for Communism. The rapid economic development of China in the past two decades has transformed commercial design for promoting consumption in the country. Design is no longer viewed as the evil it was once considered to be. The ensuing expansion of design activities and design programs has been phenomenal. China is a craft rich country with a long-standing tradition in arts and crafts. Traditionally, arts and crafts were at the core of Chinese cultural heritage, and many influences on modern Chinese design had been passed down through centuries of artistic production. Chinese modernism came to entail a blend of traditional fine and folk art from its own culture, along with art styles borrowed from Japan and Europe