Singapore Republic Polytechnic Delegation Visits Chongqing to Explore Design-Driven Urban Development

Recently, a delegation of students and faculty from Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic visited the Chongqing Industrial Design Headquarters Base for an exchange visit. They gained an in-depth understanding of the development of Chongqing as a City of Design and held discussions with representatives from Chongqing City of Design on topics such as design innovation empowering urban development.

During the visit, representatives from Chongqing City of Design provided a detailed introduction to the city‘s development history and achievements as a City of Design. Since successfully obtaining the designation, Chongqing has accelerated exchanges with cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Notably, in 2025, it facilitated the establishment of the Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS) Chongqing Representative Office—the chamber’s only representative office in China. This marked the transition of China-Singapore design cooperation from a strategic framework to a stage of substantive operation, providing solid support for deep collaboration in design co-creation, talent cultivation, and other fields.

In addition, representatives from Chongqing City of Design highlighted the progress of projects such as “China-Singapore Design Co-Creation” and “Chongqing Flavor Going Global.” Leveraging the international resources of the Global Creative Cities Network and connecting with Singapore and other creative cities worldwide, these projects empower Chongqing‘s local specialty consumer goods with an international design language—upgrading everything from product packaging and brand image to cultural storytelling. The international calling card of a Global City of Design is helping “Chongqing Flavor” enter overseas markets with greater competitiveness and advantages.

During the on-site roundtable exchange, the delegation engaged in in-depth interactive discussions on topics including design talent cultivation, industrial project cooperation, and exploration of future development trends. Participants expressed that this visit not only gave Singaporean students a more intuitive sense of the vibrant vitality and development potential of Chongqing as a global City of Design, but also further enhanced mutual trust between Chongqing and Singapore in design education and industrial resource connectivity. It laid a solid foundation for both sides to deepen sustained collaborative innovation and advance international design cooperation under the framework of the Global Creative Cities Network.