‘Less, but better: Dieter Rams’ first exhibition in China’

The first exhibition stop for this tour was the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) and the signal it gave was unmistakable. The opening of the exhibition was followed by a panel discussion called ‘Dieter Rams’ design philosophy, exhibition and industrial design education’, the line-up of which was quite a statement in itself. Of note was Prof. Liu Guanzhong, one of the most important industrial designers to have pioneered this discipline in China. Further participating experts included Prof. Zhao Chao from Tsinghua University, Prof. Gao Yang from CAFA, and Prof. Lei Haibo, the vice president of the China Industrial Design Association. One interesting aspect is that the CVs of several of the Chinese participants in the discussion feature education in Germany, including those of the highly respected Prof. Liu, Prof. Gao and Wang Zijian, the young representative for China at the rams foundation. So it was that the influence of German industrial design was again clearly evident in the dialogue from this small select circle. We are delighted that our touring exhibition was on show from 14 September to 8 October 2025 at this small (by Chinese standards) but very fine university in the heart of Beijing, in close proximity to the students. We hope that this professional exchange will be strengthened in the subsequent exhibition stops in China.