Beijing launches 'design consumption season'

Zeng Hui, vice director of the Beijing Design Week's Organizing Committee. (Photo: China.org.cn)

The capital city will launch a campaign this autumn to promote the new concept of "design consumption" among Chinese consumers.

The campaign, the first of its kind in the country, aims to awaken the public's awareness that design, a vital factor affecting the value of finished products, can be consumed, vice director of the Beijing Design Week's Organizing Committee Zeng Hui said at a press conference held in Beijing on July 29.

The design consumption season, an important part of Beijing Design Week, will be held from early September to mid-October. It also calls for various sectors to attach great importance to quality design, an important link in the industrial chain.

During this period, designers and leaders from China's "three big industries," namely property development, home decoration and the automobile sector, will showcase what good designs are and why they are worth consuming in the city's high-end business areas.

In a bid to push the campaign to its climax, activities in the form of industrial-focused exhibitions, plus the release of reports and forums, will be staged during the 2013 Beijing Design Week, which will run from September 26 to October 3.

So far, more than 30 property projects, 100 home life brands, 40 4S stores under 10 auto brands and a number of high-profile business areas have registered to join the campaign.

Beijing Design Week, an annual international event focusing on design, was initiated in 2009. Every year, exhibitions, forums and other activities are organized across the city to promote creative exchanges with other international cities.

More than 200 activities took place during the 2012 event, bringing in deals worth 5.6 billion yuan (US$ 891.7 million).