Each day, TWOC brings you nuanced and cutting-edge coverage of China via our magazine, website, and social media platforms. And now, we have our TWOC TV!

In cooperation with China Central Television, TWOC is launching The World of Chinese web series, in which experts and opinion leaders discuss topical issues from language, literature, art, cuisine, art, calligraphy, music, sport—almost every aspect of Chinese culture.

A foreigner with wide experience and love of Chinese culture, Mai Xiaolong claimed on the CCTV Finance Channel that with a smartphone in China, you can do practically anything—get a taxi, buy air tickets, order food—so much that he often forgets his wallet back home in Canada.  China is currently in a leading position of smartphone-related industrial design: Huawei and Xiaomi, for example, have won awards in international industrial design competitions.

China is now developing in its “soft power” of industrial design. The iF Design Award, Red Dot Award, IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) are three major global industrial design competitions where Chinese projects have recently stood out. Concurrently, the China Industrial Design Authority Award, or “Red Star Award,” is becoming a reputable channel for showcasing outstanding designs.

So when did China’s industrial design education start? What is the current situation for Chinese designers? In this episode, we welcome Zhao Chao, Director of the Department of Industrial Design at Tsinghua University to discuss these questions.

Designs on Industry, Part 1