Milestones on Chongqing's Journey to "City of Design"

Milestones on Chongqing's Decade-long Journey Decade-long Journey to "City of Design"

2013

The groundwork for the “City of Design” officially commenced

In 2013, Chen Heping and Tan Jialing, the then Vice Mayors of Chongqing Municipal Government, issued instructions to create the ‘City of Design’. They organized a special meeting to officially commence the work of transforming Chongqing into a “City of Design.”

Top 10 China Industrial Design Awards for 2013

The “Top 10 China Industrial Design Awards” for 2013 were announced on the 22nd. Twenty companies from across the country were awarded the titles of “Top 10 Innovative Enterprises” and “Top 10 Design Companies,” while thirty individuals were honoured as “Top 10 Outstanding Designers,” “Top 10 Outstanding Promoters,” and “Top 10 Educators.”

China Design Innovation Conference held grandly

On the 22nd, the China Design Innovation Conference was grandly held at the Chongqing International Convention and Exhibition Center. The China Design Innovation Conference was the main event of this Design Week.

2014

Chongqing Carries Out the Accreditation of the First Batch of Municipal-Level Industrial Design Centers

In order to accelerate the development of industrial design in Chongqing and enhance its innovative capabilities, the Chongqing Municipal Economy and Information Technology Commission launched the accreditation of the first batch of municipal-level industrial design centers in February 2014. Six enterprise industrial design centers were accredited, which had strong innovative capabilities, distinctive features, standardised management, and outstanding performance in fields such as automobiles, motorcycles, internal combustion engines, and home decoration. They are:

1. Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. Automotive Design Center
2. Chongqing Loncin General Purpose Engine Co., Ltd. Transportation Vehicle Industrial Design Center
3. Chongqing Zongshen Technology Development Co. Ltd. Motorcycle Innovative Design Center
4. Chongqing Ducar Power Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Power Internal Combustion Engine Industrial Design Center
5. Chongqing Mag Decorative Building Materials Co., Ltd. Customised Home Industrial Design Center
6. Chongqing Dike Automotive Research Co., Ltd.

2015

Building a “City of Design” Included in the Municipal Government’s Implementation Proposal

In April 2015, the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government issued a special policy for the development of the creative design industry titled “Implementation Proposal for Promoting the Integration of Cultural Creativity and Design Services in Related Industries.” It clearly stated the objective of promoting the deep integration of cultural creativity and design services (including cultural software services, architectural design services, professional design services, advertising services, etc.) with industrial manufacturing, urban development, business circulation, specialty agriculture, tourism, sports, and other related industries, to cultivate new economic growth points. It specifically emphasized that the primary goal is to transform Chongqing into a “City of Design” and take a leading role in integrated development, continuously enhancing the size and influence of the cultural creativity and design services industry through entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, and collaboration.

2016

Chongqing Hosts “4+N” Creative Industry Joint Meeting and Productive Service Industry Summit for Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing

On January 29, 2016, the “2016 Chongqing Art Season” with the theme “Cultural Realm · Creative Chongqing” was unveiled in Chongqing. The seminar, held under the theme of “Innovation-driven Manufacturing, Service Upgrading,” focused on the development of the productive service industry, service-oriented manufacturing, and creative industry. It brought together participants from various organizations, including the Industry Policy Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Industrial Cultural Development Center, China Industrial Design Association, as well as the development and reform commission departments from ten provinces and cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Zhejiang.

Currently, Chongqing has established two national-level industrial design centers and nurtured 49 municipal-level creative industry bases, including six that have received national-level recognition. Among them, there is one base with an investment of over 10 billion yuan, and four bases with an investment of over 1 billion yuan. These efforts have achieved certain results, and the vision of creating the “China’s Western International City of Design” has been proposed.

2017

Launching Industrial Design Study Tours to Build a Platform for Design Talent Cultivation

“Industrial Design · Study Tours in Chongqing” is a collaborative event organised by the Chongqing Industrial Design Promotion Center and relevant local universities under the guidance of the Chongqing Municipal Economy and Information Technology Commission. The initiative aims to promote the cultivation of practical and versatile design talents through a combination of studying and touring. By inviting renowned industrial design experts to give lectures, organising product design competitions during the study tours, and arranging visits to well-developed design areas outside the city, the program further deepens and enriches the study tour experiences. This helps to enhance students’ practical design skills and broaden their design perspectives. Since its initiation, the program has successfully collaborated with institutions such as Chongqing Jiaotong University and Chongqing University of Technology. It has organised study tours for industrial design students to visit over 20 industrial design centers, well-known manufacturing companies, design firms, and industrial parks within the city. The annual study tour attracts nearly 300 students, achieving favourable outcomes in terms of skill development and expanding students’ understanding of the design field.

2018

Taking the Lead in Implementing the Nationwide Reform of Industrial Design Professional Title Evaluation

Chongqing has taken the lead in implementing the nationwide reform of industrial design professional title evaluation. The evaluation system for design talents has been enriched, establishing a comprehensive five-level evaluation system for industrial design personnel, including industrial design staff, assistant industrial designers, industrial designers, senior industrial designers, and senior-level industrial designers. In 2021, in collaboration with the China Industrial Design Association, Chongqing initiated the application process for non-local industrial design professional titles, pioneering a cross-province application model for industrial design professional titles. This initiative has enhanced and developed the national design talent evaluation system, breaking down the nationwide barriers of evaluating design professionals in different locations and opening up career development channels for design talents from other regions, thus accelerating the construction of a manufacturing industry design talent ecosystem in Chongqing that attracts talents from both near and far.

2019

Organising the First “Smart Expo Cup” Industrial Design Competition

In 2019, the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government organised the first “Smart Expo Cup” Industrial Design Competition. The competition aimed to lead high-quality development, create a high-quality lifestyle, promote intelligent design, and integrate intelligence into design. It sought to discover and encourage design talents and projects with international competitiveness, focus on the integration of art and industry, and stimulate the generation of more innovative and high-quality design ideas and outcomes from society. The competition aimed to drive the transformation and upgrading of Chongqing’s industry through innovative design and promote the integrated development of the manufacturing and design industries.

Since the launch of the “Smart Expo Cup” Industrial Design Competition in 2019, it has gained attention from over 1,000 domestic and international organizations, more than 20,000 students from over 155 universities worldwide, as well as support from associations and organisations from countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Over 50 industrial design experts, scholars, founders of scientific and technological innovation enterprises, management personnel from eight industrial sectors, and fund teams have formed a strong industry team to support the competition.

2020

Chongqing Municipality Signs First Industrial Design Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

In July 2020, with strong support from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Chongqing Municipal Government signed the first cooperation agreement to promote the development of the industrial design industry in Chongqing. The agreement aims to enhance collaboration between the municipal and national levels to drive industrial design development in Chongqing. Yu Xiaodong, the Deputy Director of the Industry Policy and Regulation Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, expressed the hope that Chongqing would take this opportunity to accelerate the development of industrial design, play a supportive and exemplary role, strengthen exchanges and cooperation with neighboring provinces, and drive the development of the industrial design industry in the western region.

2021

Chongqing Successfully Established as a National Industrial Design Demonstration City

A national industrial design demonstration city refers to a city that has achieved significant results in various aspects, including having a group of national-level industrial design centers, breakthroughs in design in key areas of manufacturing, cultivation of high-end manufacturing design talents, establishment of a national industrial design research institute, and fundamental research in industrial design. These cities demonstrate outstanding contributions of industrial design in empowering high-quality development in the manufacturing industry. The evaluation and announcement of national industrial design demonstration cities are conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.

In 2021, Chongqing, as the only selected city in western China, joined Shanghai Pudong New Area, Shenzhen, and Yantai as the first batch of four national industrial design demonstration cities (zones) in the country. Chongqing has consistently regarded industrial design as a vital breakthrough point for transforming and upgrading the manufacturing industry. Based on its local industrial foundation and advantages, Chongqing has developed an innovative approach to industrial design that aligns with its own development characteristics.

2022

Issuance of the “Action Plan for Transforming Chongqing into a ‘City of Design'”

In January 2022, the General Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government officially issued the “Action Plan for Transforming Chongqing into a ‘City of Design'”. The plan clearly outlines the objectives of empowering high-quality development in the manufacturing industry through industrial design, focusing on enhancing design innovation capabilities and benchmarking the standards for creating a “City of Design.” It implements five major actions related to industrial design entities, talents, activities, carriers, and ecosystem development. The plan aims to optimise the development environment for industrial design, strengthen the construction of industry carriers and ecosystems, promote deep integration between industrial design and related industries, foster a design industry cluster with industrial design as the core throughout the entire value chain, and facilitate industrial design to become an essential link between advanced manufacturing and modern service industries.

2023

Promoting Industrial Design Legislation and Initiating the Application for “City of Design”

In 2023, efforts were made to promote industrial design legislation by including the “Chongqing Industrial Design Revitalisation Regulations” in the legislative plan of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress for the years 2023-2027. Additionally, the “Chongqing New Design” journal was established. Simultaneously, a working group dedicated to the “City of Design” project was formed, led by a vice mayor and composed of 24 municipal departments, relevant district and county governments, as well as various organizations. An expert advisory committee was also formed, consisting of experts from domestic and international academic institutions, enterprises, and social organizations, representing various fields including industrial design, engineering design, and fashion design.