DESIGN IN CH I NA
THE PERFECT CHRONOGRAPH
Designed in China – the new Made in China?
China has been something of a design wasteland over the last century but a new generation of furniture designers could well be putting China back on the design map. Tom Pattinson asks if China will soon be regarded as the world’s drawing board rather than just the world’s factory. Sadly there aren’t a lot of nice things to say
science, medicine, cartography, engineering
about most of China’s urban landscape – it’s
and design. Fast-forward another thousand
just pretty dull. I’m not saying that foreign
years to the Ming Dynasty and we were once
architecture in American or European is spot
again going through another design renais-
on and yes, there are lovely historical quarters
sance producing some of the most sought
and the odd glamorous garden to be found in
after products in the world. Now – over four
most of our cities, but generally this country’s
hundred years later – the Ming style furniture
modern buildings were created for function
and porcelain are still being replicated today
and not for aesthetics. Therefore many cities
by contemporary artists and designers.
are made up of functional soviet-style block
Creativity and design innovation was
buildings produced in standard concrete-
put on hold after Liberation as the focus was
grey, occasionally covered with public-toilet
put on increasing agricultural and industrial
white tiles, or more recently, anonymous
output at the expense of everything else.
reflective glass frontages. If you’re lucky you
Whether it was apartment buildings, house-
might fun with a gaudy faux temple roof perc-
hold furniture, or everyday kitchenware, the
hed on top. Our capital in particular is known
only requirements were high functionality
for its exceptional ugliness – an affliction that
and low cost. During this era, families all over
often occurs when aesthetics are replaced
the country owned the same mass-produced
with functionality on a tight budget.
goods such as the ‘Golden Dragon’ family thermos, a ‘Double Fish’ washing bowl or me-
Low-cost living
tal drinking cup. Ironically, today, these iden-
Architecture aside, the utilitarian functiona-
tical products are kitsch commodities that the
lism of the 20th century saw a glut of mass
younger generation and tourists alike, scour
produced products and furniture in nearly
the shops of Beijing and Shanghai in search of
every households. At that time, ensuring the
both originals and replicas.
welfare of the billion plus population was a much higher priority than object de art. Head back a millennia and a half howe-
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China reborn As the country began to embrace western
ver, during the seventh century, when most of
commercialism and increased its economic
Europe were living in mud huts in the depths
might during the ‘80s, elements of the coun-
of the Dark Ages, the Tang Dynasty were
try began to change. Individuals moved out
leading the world, creating breakthroughs in
of communal housing and, as a class system
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