In her opinion, functionality, ancient philosophy, a creative mindset, technology and financing can jointly offer a new "Eastern design" form odern society.
Earlier this year, the first annual Design Intelligence Awards were given by the academy.
The prize of 1 million yuan($147,000) for the winner makes it one of the top industrial design awards in the world.
Lu Xiaobo, principal of the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, says an Eastern design does not necessarily have to explicitly show traditional Chinese cultural elements.
"China now should have the confidence to showcase modern designs," he says. "But we should not just pursue it as a fad. In ancient China, people advocated that the biggest philosophies are expressed in simple shapes."
Some pioneering Chinese designers, who were long neglected by the public, are in the spotlight now.
Lei Kuiyuan: The Master of Modern Design in China, an exhibition showcasing Lei's blueprints in various fields such as indoor decorations, pottery and stage design, opened a day earlier than Design Road at the academy.
Lei led the academy's design school in its early days. The displayed items do not feel out-of-date though many were designed in the 1940s.
"If China had to have a father of modern design, Lei would be a candidate," says Hang Jian, vice-president of the academy, who launched the exhibition on Lei.
Lei not only thought the field helped the economy, but also saw it as an aesthetic education for the public.
"We now advocate care for local cultures and seek to return to traditional patterns, but this is something Lei promoted more than 80 years ago," Hang says.
If you go
Design Road, China Academy of Arts
9 am-5 pm (Mondays closed); through Dec 6. Art Museum, China Academy of Arts, 218 Nanshan Road, Shangcheng district, Hangzhou.
Lei Kuiyuan: The Master of Modern Design in China
9 am-5 pm (Mondays closed); through Dec 15. Folk Crafts Museum, China Academy of Arts, 352 Xiangshan Road, Xihu district, Hangzhou.
