是荷兰设计产业的一大强项，因此这也可能成 为荷兰设计在中国的一个机会。中国设计的 “学习曲线”蕴藏着巨大的市场的机会，而投 资者将树立起在中国设计领域的权威性。 值得引起注意的是，一方面，许多荷兰设计公 司纠结于在中国市场找到有共同信念的本土设 计师与合作伙伴；另一方面，近年来也有越 来越多的中国年轻设计师来荷兰深造学习。这 部分对两国文化和设计市场都有所了解，能理 解荷兰设计方法并有自己想法的年轻人，也将 会在荷兰设计在中国的发展起到至关重要的 作用。
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2009年我从浙江大学工业设计系毕业后，在荷兰代尔夫 特理工大学工业设计系学习，并于2011年取得产品整合 设计硕士工程师学位，现于荷兰从事设计工作。在学习工 作之余，我与几位设计师朋友一起创办了“求是设计会” 与“荷兰华人设计师协会”。 我是一位信仰“设计”的年 轻人，我对设计的理解包含三个方面：设，假设与想象； 计，计划与策略；设计，将设想通过计策在现实中实现的 过程。
在海牙市政厅举行的荷兰华人设计协会推介会
The event of promoting the foundation of chinese designers in the netherlands at the den haag city hall
和人格魅力，在项目初始接触阶段能让客户对 其业务能力产生信服。但在合作过程中，也不 见得是一帆风顺的。外国建筑师由于对中国市 场概念的模糊，往往会有许多不切实际的设计 （如造价高、工时长、不懂法规尺度控制等状 况）。而相较于其他国外建筑设计在中国市场 的迅速商业化和本土化（如许多美国、英国等 建筑公司在中国的设计团队规模巨大且已经几 乎全部是中国本土设计师），荷兰建筑在中国 依然保留着自身的有限的规模以及对设计项目 的控制。这一点虽然限制了荷兰建筑公司在中 国商业扩张的速度，然而对于每个设计项目本 身所带来的设计价值和长远的利益却是巨大 的。这也可以算作荷兰设计务实的一种表现。 荷兰设计在中国发展的挑战和机会 对于许多想要进入中国市场的荷兰设计公司， 特别是小规模、新兴的、或国际声誉并不响亮 的设计公司，“中国之行”是会有难度的。首 先，荷兰公司要谨慎表露自己的“专家心态”， 虽然中国人的确看重专家，但很多情况是与 “看中”的专家合作。其次，境外设计公司强 调自身设计优势和差异对于中国客户已经不足 够了，需要寻求新的商业模式和地区发展伙伴 的合作与支持。另外，对于中国设计市场的眼 界也不应局限与一线城市以及高端市场，在包 括农业在内的各行业，以人为本的好用设计也 有很大的潜在市场。 中国设计产业目前尚处初步阶段，设计行业的 基础设施建设并不完善，如不健全的知识产权 保护法律法规，市场研究数据的匮乏，设计教 育理论方法的空洞，设计市场秩序的混乱等， 都让在荷兰习惯于十分成熟设计产业环境的设 计师和设计公司面临新的挑战。而从另一个角 度看，对于行业基础设施的设计与建设恰巧又
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however, sometimes they are not tangled in details, which leads to a lack of refinement in some designs. The new gen eration of Dutch designers has a strong international style in their work, but is more conceptual and emotional compared with designers from other cultures.” It is invaluable for Chinese designers to reflect and learn from the ‘purity’ of Dutch design and its “advanced design methodology and working model.” Weishan Chen from Taiwan is currently doing research on Western architects and architecture companies in China. By interviewing many Chinese architects and real estate developers (e.g. VANKE Real Estate, Capital Land and China merchants property development, etc.) in China, she found that in their eyes Western architects overall have a high level of professional qualities, which is not only reflected in their design skills, but also in their communication skills and personal charm. This can help them convince customers of their operational capability at the initial contact phase of a project. But during the cooperation process that follows, it becomes less easy. Due to their fuzzy knowledge of Chinese market, Western architects often come up with many unrealistic designs (such as high-cost and long-term designs, or designs restricted by local standards and regulations). Compared with the rapid commercialization and localization of other Western architecture companies in China (e.g. lots of companies from the USA and the UK have established large and strong design teams in China, almost exclusively with local designers), Dutch architecture companies are still retaining the limited scale of the design team and maintaining control of design projects by Dutch architects. This limits the expansion of Dutch architecture companies’ business in China. On the other hand, it ensures the design value and the long-term interest of each design project. This also can be regarded as a manifestation of Dutch design pragmatism.
荷兰设计在中国
Challenges and Opportunities of Dutch Design in China For the many Dutch design companies that aspire to enter the Chinese market, in particular small-scale, emerging design companies with less of an international reputation, their ‘China trip’ won’t be as easy as they might have imagined. Firstly, Dutch design companies have to be cautious about unconsciously or subconsciously bringing an ‘expert men tality’ to China. Although the Chinese greatly admire experts, in many cases they long to be in collaboration with experts instead of just accepting every suggestion from them. Secondly, the advantages of Western designers over local designers are getting smaller; therefore, only stressing the quality of Dutch design in China is not enough. Dutch design companies need to seek out new business models and better cooperation with local partners. In addition, Dutch design companies should be aware that the Chinese design market is not just limited to first-tier cities or high-end markets. In various industries including agriculture, the potential market for peopleoriented, practical design is getting bigger and bigger. The design industry in China is very immature compared with its huge design market. The infrastructure of the design industry is not perfect. The weakness of intellectual property protection laws and regulations, the lack of market research data, the impractical design education, and the chaotic design market order are just a few examples. In contrast to the healthy and mature design environment in the Netherlands, this can confuse Dutch designers when they first enter the Chinese market. Nevertheless, from another perspective this can be a great opportunity for Dutch design to develop infrastructure for industries. ‘The learning curve’ of Chinese design offers huge market potential for investment. As a reward, investors can establish authority in the design field in China. It is also worth noting that, on the one hand, Dutch design companies are struggling to find proper local designers and partners with common beliefs to develop their business in China. On the other hand, however, in recent years there have been more and more young Chinese designers coming to the Netherlands for further design education. These young people not only have great talent for design, but also are familiar with both Dutch and Chinese culture and have a deep understanding of Dutch design methods and processes. They may play a crucial role for the development of Dutch design in China.
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After graduated as a bachelor of Industrial Designer from Zhejiang University in China in 2009, I started my master program of Integrated Product Design in Delft University of Technology until 2011. I am currently engaged in design work in the Netherlands. During my spare time, I initiated ‘Qiushi Design Society’ (with 460,000+ follower on Weibo) and ‘the Foundation of Chinese Designers in the Netherlands’. I am a young designer with belief in the word ‘design’. My understanding of design consists of three aspects: using imagination to make assumptions, making plans and strategies for realizing the assumptions and the process of turning the assumptions into reality.
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dutch design in china
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