Celebrating year One for the iF design center Chengdu

20 exhibitions, more than 50 renowned designers despite the pandemic – our iF team takes stock of the innovation hub for the creative scene in one of China's fastest growing cities.

The iF design center Chengdu celebrates its first anniversary. Twelve months ago, more than 400 guests from across the world celebrated the new design venue in the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Today, even while dealing with the impact of the pandemic, people keep on coming.

With the design center, iF has realized its vision to create a world-class innovation hub for the design and creative industry in China. Since then, 20 exhibitions took place in five exhibition areas at large. 30 design events attracted guests and speakers from home and abroad, among them more than 50 renowned designers. General Manager Serena Lin is pleased: "With these exhibitions and activities, a new design hub has taken shape. We are glad of the opportunity to bring cutting-edge design studios to Chengdu and, at the same time, show design fascination to the world."

One event with the most positive feedback from the audience was, as Serena reports, the iF Design Talk in June 2020 which supported the iF DESIGN AWARD exhibition.

Natt Leung, Co-founder of 8ight Pro Studio, and Yue He, Design Director at Nreal Technology Limited, were invited. Their works won the iF DESIGN AWARD 2020. "This design sharing turned to be great", Serena says and continues, "Although only one speaker could attend the session in person and the other one via the screen, the distance couldn’t hinder the communication between all participants who were craving for new knowledge."

As well as being an active meeting place to share current design topics of the world, this is a design center which offers working space. According to Serena, the demand is high – till now, six domestic design companies occupy eight out of nine offices. As soon as the post-pandemic time comes, Serena and her team will once again attract overseas design firms to establish their business in the Chinese market.

They all can benefit from leisure space, meeting rooms and, in this summer, the guests and office workers even had the chance to enjoy an atmospheric Bavarian beer garden outside the iF design café. Serena says: "The iF Beer Garden was an event which attempted to put everyone in a feel-good-mood in summertime providing quality beer, sausages and other German traditional food. We will keep holding similar events to bring you new experience about design and life in our space."

For the future, Serena promises to continue where they left off in 2020 and to enliven the design industry in Chengdu: "What has not changed are the enthusiasm for work and the pursuit of a better life."

Currently on show in the iF design center Chengdu, Tue-Sat 10am-5pm:

1. iF DESIGN TALENT AWARD 2020 (until 31 Mar 2021)
2. In the post-epidemic era, how can design create a better world? (until 31 Mar 2021)
3. Legend of Reed - TsaiLin Yang Jewelry Exhibition (22 Dec 2020-16 Jan 2021)

(published in December 2020)