Made in China

Once upon a time, that stamp may have had a less than appealing connotation. It’s not the case now. Visible in the arresting, now-iconic buildings by star architects from Frank Gehry to the late Zaha Hadid, and in the proliferation of museums, high-end hotels and otherworldly retail spaces, design and culture in China have come a long way since the year 2000.

On the ground, the swift rise of homegrown talent as well as a creative landscape that has matured dramatically in the last two decades have given rise to international design fairs such as Salone del Mobile, which arrived in China in 2016, joining leading local events like Design Shanghai and Design Beijing.

In 2020 and beyond, China remains an imposing presence on the world – and we are thrilled to be a witness. In this report, CatchOn, a Finn Partners Company, evaluates the trends shaping the state of design in China, and the extraordinary architects, designers, creatives, and tastemakers leading the charge.