China's political policies are taking a beating in the press, but its design history is rather more colourful and less controversial. Hotfoot it over to the China Design Now exhibition showing at the V&A until 13 July, and track the development of Chinese design over the past two decades.
If your idea of Chinese design is something along the lines of 'Hello Kitty', think again. The V&A's exhibition takes you on a tour of three cities, looking at the global developments that have shaped their contemporary design cultures.
Shenzhen, the youngest city in China with an average age of just 27, is all things quirky, techie and modern. Think graphic design and pop art with an unmistakable (and at times bizarre) influence of Western design.
Trend and taste-setters should admire the romance and elusiveness of the Paris of the Orient, Shanghai. From its heyday of 1920s glamour, it has developed at a fast and furious pace with an emerging middle class desperate for consumer products.
Third stop is Beijing, the cultural hub of the Forbidden City and Imperial Palaces. Emerging out of this secret history will be the new Olympic 2008 stadium, standing as the architectual face of the new China.
But it's not just quantity, quantity, quantity in the country traditionally known for its mass production scales. It's the combination of China's rich cultural history and its recent push towards consumerism and western lifestyle that look set to make its design and architecture scene one to keep your eye on.
Visit London has more details of the China Now events running in the capital in celebration of the Beijing Olympics. Travel around the world in ten styles with our global style article.
