JIANG Qiong Er, a native of Shanghai, has exemplified the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures in her work. She began her design journey at Tongji University and furthered her expertise in furniture and interior design at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. In 2009, she established SHANG XIA in partnership with Hermès Group upon her return to China.

JIANG’s design philosophy centres on emotion, harmonizing tradition with modernity, craft with technology, and functionality with emotion. Her creations beautifully merge Eastern and Western elements. JIANG's dedication to cultural exchange and innovation has garnered prestigious accolades, including being named a "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Republic, recognition as one of the "World's Top 100 most valuable luxury brands" by the World Luxury Association.

Pei GUO is a fashion designer, as well as the Founder of Rose Studio. She is the first and only Chinese Guest Member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. She has been also named Asian Couturier Extraordinaire by Asian Couture Fédération (ACF) and is the Fédération Lifetime Founding Member in 2015. In April 2016, GUO was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

For more than 20 years, she has been designing gowns for the most distinguished hosts and performers of CCTV’s Annual Spring Festival Gala, one of China’s most watched programmes. She is also the designer of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Award Ceremony dresses. GUO has devoted herself to conserving while innovating the art of embroidery, and led her team to successfully restore the nearly lost “royal embroidery” technique. Adhering to the concept of “Eastern learnings as found, Western learnings for implement", GUO combines traditional Chinese embroidery techniques and avant-garde silhouettes while creating her couture pieces. Her Rose Studio, the first couture house registered in the Mainland with stores and exhibition halls over the world, has paved the way for local couture industry, bringing Chinese traditional embroidery onto the world stage.

Stanley WONG, better known as anothermountainman, is a homegrown visual communicator in Hong Kong. His art works always convey a sense of Hong Kong’s culture. Wong graduated from the Hong Kong Technical Teachers’ College (now The Education University of Hong Kong) in 1980, majoring in design and technology. Wong worked as a graphic designer for five years before beginning a rewarding advertising career. In 1996, he became the first Chinese person to take up the position of Asia regional creative director at Bartle Bogle Hegarty (Asia Pacific). After returning to Hong Kong, he eventually set up Threetwoone Film Production Limited with a partner and established 84000 Communications in 2002 and 2007 respectively.

Wong was inducted as a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) in 2004 and was honoured to sit on the AGI international executive committee for four years from 2007. In 2005, he caught the world’s attention at the 51st Venice Biennale, where he represented Hong Kong and presented his ‘redwhiteblue’ series. Since 2000, Wong has been an active contributor to creative education, conducting numerous talks and workshops in various local and overseas institutes. Throughout his career, Wong has won over 600 awards in graphic design, advertising and fine art at home and abroad, including D&AD yellow pencil, Tokyo TDC award / TDC Prize, and 2 One Show gold awards. In 2012, he won awards at both the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards and the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2011, where he took the Award for Best Artist (Visual Arts).

Wong’s all-rounded artistic and creative prowess makes him a unique presence in the world of designers. Effortlessly juggling between his passions for graphic design, advertising works, photography works and so on, his artistic talents are extremely versatile. Within him there is also a strong sense of responsibility that pushes him to seek meaning in his work and advocate for a balance between commercialism and social development.

Photographer: Cho Youtao 曹有涛

Encompassing the fields of architecture, sculpture, interior, furniture and object designs, Chi Wing Lo’s prolific output has long been recognised, in and beyond the eminent circle of contemporary Italian design, by his evocativeness in thought, gracefulness in form and meticulousness in every detail.

Founder of DIMENSIONE CHI WING LO®, a brand of furniture designed and made in Italy under his close direction. Lo has been actively pursuing design in Italy for more than two decades. His aspiration for timelessness has brought his designs to international attention and many of his earlier works continue to be much sought after today.

In 2007, Lo was invited by the HKDC to contribute a design to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hong Kong‘s handover to China. He was the art director for Giorgetti from 2004-2006 and was the chairman of the jury for the St. Petersburg Design Biennale in 2009. Same year, his tower house was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize in Architecture. At Foshan in 2010, he organised and chaired an international design conference on a theme addressing the need of original design in China. This year, he also founded 1ness, uniting wisdom and sensibility of past and present by creating objects that are lasting, simple and essential.

Since 2012, Lo has also presented his sculptures in solo exhibitions at contemporary art galleries in Italy and the South East Asia. His sculptures are favored by prominent international art collectors.

Raised in Hong Kong, Lo received his Master Degree in Architecture from Harvard University with the best thesis prize in 1988. He had taught at the Syracuse University, NY, and had been a member of the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart. His designs for exclusive projects are in Milan, Athens, London, Istanbul, Yalta, Dubai, Shanghai Beijing and Shenzhen.

Arnold Chan grew up in Hong Kong but completed the final years of his secondary education in the UK before enrolling at the Architectural Association in London in 1979 to study architecture. Having obtained a Bachelor of Architecture (BA. Hons) in 1982, he continued his training there, graduating with a Diploma of Architecture (Dipl. Arch) in 1984. He subsequently studied Intermediate Lighting Design at South Bank Polytechnic in London, receiving a Diploma in 1985.

In 1986, Chan founded Isometrix Lighting + Design Ltd as an international architectural lighting consultancy. Its portfolio includes all sectors of interior and exterior lighting — lifestyle, hospitality, residential, retail, architectural and cultural. This work has taken him to all corners of the globe, and in collaboration with international client and design teams. The roster of highly acclaimed architects and designers he has worked with include Christian Liaigre, David Chipperfield, David Collins, Herzog & de Meuron, Jean Nouvel, John Pawson, Kengo Kuma, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Shigeru Ban, Thomas Heatherwick and Zaha Hadid. One of his first high-profile lighting commissions in the mid-80s was for exclusive fashion retailer Joseph, whose Brompton Road store in London was designed by eminent architect Eva Jiricna. In Asia during the mid-90s, Isometrix became a household name on account of working with Philippe Starck to illuminate the renowned Felix Restaurant at The Peninsula Hong Kong. Recent projects include Tazmania Ballroom and The Upper House in Hong Kong, London Edition and Sketch in London, and AMQ in Tokyo.

Isometrix operates from two design studios, in London and Hong Kong, currently employing over 35 full-time people with a diverse range of skill sets. This resource ranges from architecture and design trained expertise to product and lighting designers with in-depth technical knowledge of luminaires, and a mock-up workshop with sophisticated prototype testing facilities.

Born in Heilongjiang in 1973, Yao studied Graphic Design at Qiqihar University, graduating in 1996. He later gained an EMBA from China Europe International Business School.

Yao joined Lenovo in 1996, the company’s first industrial design professional. Lenovo became the first IT company in China to introduce the concept of industrial design. Yao led that first industrial design team to create Tian Xi, a design which features its quick web access function. The product popularized the usage of the Internet in China, assisting Lenovo to gain the largest market share in the Asia-Pacific market at the time, and laying the foundation for Lenovo’ s consumer and commercial product development capabilities. Over the following seventeen years, Yao has been a leader in China’s IT field, introducing brand-new design concepts. To meet customer needs and enhance Lenovo’ s brand value, he established an organizational structure characterized by multi-discipline, multi-culture, and multi-region coordination – the structure makes the most of design innovation ability in terms of materials, mechanics, and techniques. Yao has fostered the global design ability of his team, and its integration. Under Yao’s leadership, Lenovo became the first Chinese company to win four major international design awards simultaneously.

Wings under the Microscope, Surfers of the World

“Design, sometimes, is like a montage that puts discrete, unrelated things together,” Yao Yingjia says.

In 1996, during a rainy weekend, graphic designer Yao Yingjia met a turning point in his life. It was the night before he was to report to work with a leading advertising agency, and a weekend when Lenovo held a major event in Beijing. It was as if a mystical force had been at play. The commercial on Rodin’s Thinker led Yao to the front rows facing the stage at the Lenovo event. From that day on, the destinies of Yao and the company became one and the same: blending culture and high-technology.

From being the first designer at the newly set-up IDC (Industrial Design Centre) to leading the corporation’s multinational design team at the second IDC (Innovative Design Centre), Yao rode one wave after another. In seventeen years, Yao and Lenovo have grown up with China. Today, as Chief Designer and Vice President of Lenovo, Yao tells young people, “Follow your heart. Do what you enjoy most.” Yao was raised in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, where one of his favourite pastimes as a child was to draw and sketch outdoors, in nature. He would ride his bicycle and in ten minutes arrive at Nenjiang, where white birch trees, reeds, and red-crowned cranes kept him company. In the Manchurian language, Qiqihar means ‘the place where the moon rises’ and growing up with such beauty brings certain expectations or perspectives. “I’m very fond of nature. My feelings for nature can be all consuming and so emotional that it can be like a psychological complex: you experience first-hand the magical changes in nature, in a million beings, in a flash. I am concerned with the relationships between humans, humans and things, living things and inanimate objects, which can be both complicated and fascinating. How can humans and other beings co-exist in the world and develop harmonious relationships with the natural environment?”

Sketching and painting outdoors and seeing laboratory specimens have developed the left and right side of Yao’s brain – art and sensitivity, as well as rationality and knowledge, nurtured in equal parts. In addition to the education he received in nature, his upbringing took place in a historical background. Yao’s hometown had housed many educated youth being retrained in the rustic countryside during the Cultural Revolution. In the land famous for its black-soil culture, young people with a literary bent were inspired to create with passion.

The design team led by Yao witnessed China’s transition from the industrial era to one that stresses innovation; they also saw technology’s evolution from the conventional global definition of industrial design to one that represents changing corporate social consciousness, knowledge and quality of design. “Design is akin to enzyme in the fermentation process. It seems not the main actor, but you need it to produce the chemical effects, to set off the interconnected results and the entire life cycle of the product. It enables a deeper understanding of user needs, the path to product development, decisions on service content, and the ultimate product offering. All these values turn the corporation into a multi-faceted and holistic system.”

Functionality that feels familiar, user experience that delights, and forward-thinking visions can all come from good designs, but design also brings about cultural memory and a stirring of emotions. In the vast coldness of silver and black – prevalent colours for IT products - Lenovo’ s IdeaPad in bright red is a bold statement that catches the eye. Red is not an easy colour to deploy, especially in China where it brings forth complex layers of meanings, feelings and memories.

Ma Ke graduated from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1992. In 1996, Ma established the brand of EXCEPTION de MIXMIND and assumed the role of Chief Designer. The 2005 Spring / Summer Collection was presented in public for the very first time in Beijing.

Ma has received a number of significant awards in recognition of her talent and dedication to the fashion design industry. In 2006, she was named “Best International Chinese Fashion Designer of 2006” by Modern Weekly, and in the following year, named “Best Asian Fashion Designer” by ELLE Style Awards 2007 in Hong Kong.

The introduction of WUYONG represented an important milestone for Ma Ke. In 2007, she was invited to attend Paris Fashion Week 2007 to present this new line of fashion. This collection also captured the attention of Golden Lion winner Jia Zhang-K, who directed a documentary featuring Ma and WUYONG, and it won Best Documentary Prize at the 64th Venice Film Festival. In 2008, Ma became the first Chinese designer invited to attend Paris Haute Couture Week ,during which she presented WUYONG to the French design community. WUYONG was then brought to London at the annual event “Fashion in Motion” curated by V&A Museum of London, and also at the “Design of the Year” exhibition by Design Museum in London. It was also nominated the 2007 Annual Design Award.

Ma’s talent is also expressed beyond the fashion arena. In 2004, she curated the book “Point One” which won the “Most Beautiful Book of China 2006” and was nominated “Most Beautiful Book of the World 2007” in Leipzig, Germany. “Point One” was also presented at the “2005 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism & Architecture Exhibition”.

Kai-Yin Lo is recognized as a pioneer for bringing a contemporary and easy-to-wear style to traditional Chinese jewelry and for elevating semi-precious stones into a mainstay in jewelry design. A well-regarded expert on several fields of Chinese art and culture, she has edited four books ranging from Chinese furniture to the vernacular house and living environment. As a designer and historian, Lo has uniquely championed Chinese cultural heritage as a source of creative inspiration. Throughout her career, spanning over three decades, Lo has persistently maintained her own unique style by interpreting old forms in entirely contemporary terms.

In 2005, Lo was honored alongside Cartier as one of three jewelers lauded for their "influence, style and excellence" by the Kennedy Center, Washington DC. Lo's creative designs have been sold at leading stores across the globe. Since 1992, she has organized and curated numerous important international art, culture, and lifestyle exhibitions and symposia. The annual Kai-Yin Lo Lecture at Asia Society, New York is widely regarded as a significant forum.

With 15 years in the automotive industry, Chelsia Lau, the Chief Designer of Ford Motor Company, is responsible for shaping the design direction of Ford's Sport Utility Vehicles. These include the Ford EcoSport, Explorer, Explorer Sport Trac, Expedition, Mercury Mountaineer, and Lincoln Navigator.

Given her ability to juxtapose engineering and art within the automotive context, it is no surprise that this young designer has received many accolades and has been named by AutoWeek magazine as "one of the top ten secret people who will change your world".

Born in Canton, Vivienne is a graduate of Hong Kong Polytechnic's Fashion Design Department. Vivienne's success as a designer of Asian background has been an example to young designers in Hong Kong and China. She feels that creative work also has social responsibilities. As such, she has been actively involved in many diverse charitable projects and lectured extensively.

Vivienne won the prestigious Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award in Hong Kong in 2005. In the same year, she was invited to speak at Fortune Global Forum in Beijing.

The World's Outstanding Chinese Designer (WOCD) was presented to renowned designer Kan Tai-keung, BBS, whose design work was considered by the judges, to stand head and shoulders above the crowd. The form and technique of Kan's work is built on a deep respect for the Chinese heritage, but adapted for the modern context, making it relevant and emotionally powerful for all.

An overview of the promotional and educational design projects conducted by Kan in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and especially in the Mainland, has shown his dedication to raising the bar for Chinese designers, and bringing Chinese design into the international arena. His work is set to have a powerful influence on future generations of designers; training as an apprentice and tailor before studying design, his achievements will be an inspiration to many young people.