As Design Shanghai prepares for its 12th edition, its director Zhuo Tan speaks to Cultural Union about innovations at this year’s show and the steps that have taken it from a bold start-up to Asia’s most consequential design fair.
For more than a decade, Design Shanghai has been establishing itself as an essential voice among the world’s most prestigious design fairs. Founded in 2014 and already Asia’s leading show, Design Shanghai fulfils a vital dual role, mentoring Chinese design talent and framing their potential for domestic collectors while also providing a bridge to a global design audience.
“When we first introduced the show, China was already the world’s biggest market for luxury goods such as bags and cars,” says Zhuo Tan, Event Director of Design Shanghai. “But they also wanted beautiful things for their homes. This demand gave Design Shanghai the opportunity to introduce the best of European design into the market.”
Before Design Shanghai, says Tan, the predominant note in the homes of China’s wealthiest was one of opulence: “It was like Buckingham Palace – their taste was coming from movies and hotels. But that’s not how people were living in Europe.”
“It was wildly popular, that first year. People flew in from cities all over China”
Zhuo Tan, director of Design Shanghai
Design Shanghai introduced an entirely new aesthetic, with pieces unlike anything the domestic audience had seen. And the timing was auspicious, catching a surge of demand. “It was wildly popular, that first year,” Tan recalls. “People flew in from cities all over China to see it, and the results were amazing. The exhibitors got a lot of orders, and that gave us the encouragement to carry on.”
The show’s success emboldened the organisers to expand. “We had a chance to go into the market in depth – to discover talented Chinese designers, to engage with Chinese interior designers to understand what they were looking for, and in turn, to influence them and expose them to the latest contemporary design.”
Over the next few years, Tan and her team worked tirelessly, convincing more European studios to join the organisation, and producing a show that grew each year in size and scope.
Design Shanghai Collectible Design & Art
One such expansion was a move into collectible design in 2015. At the time, collectible design – or functional art – was an unfamiliar concept to many Chinese visitors: they understood the large sums associated with contemporary art, but didn’t yet see functional furniture in the same light. Coupled with an absence of any collectible design galleries in China, Design Shanghai discontinued the strand.
Fast forward to 2025, and the situation is very different. Chinese interior designers are creating bold, idiosyncratic work that is being recognised throughout the world, demonstrating a brio and confidence unimaginable a decade earlier. And they are creating a demand for unique pieces for their projects and clients.
In recognition of this shift, 2025 marks the launch of Design Shanghai Collectible Design & Art, bringing a curated mix of design and contemporary art from 20 featured galleries.
Neooold
While Design Shanghai Collectible Design & Art is a new feature of the 2025 edition, studios such as Chen Min’s Neooold, which straddle an arc between product design and collectible design, have been major participants of the show for years. Their theme this year is Mass Wonders, which explores “the profound and serene beauty of handcrafted art that flourishes in tranquillity.”
Curated by Chen Min, the show gives a platform to 20 emerging Chinese artisans working with lacquer, ceramics, metalwork and weaving – inviting visitors to “pause and embrace stillness.”
Made in Jingdezhen
Another major feature this year is Made in Jingdezhen – spotlighting the work of the city known as the Porcelain Capital of China. “The great strength of Chinese design is its history, craftsmanship and tradition,” says Tan. “If you compete globally with the rest of the world, that is the treasure we have and we need to utilise that. At Design Shanghai, we always try to promote the best of Chinese design, and Made in Jingdezhen is a great example, because Jingdezhen is where porcelain comes from.”
Most international audiences will associate Jingdezhen with the traditional blue and white porcelain that China has exported for hundreds of years. “But Chinese craft nowadays is more than that,” says Tan. “So we want to bring a group of very talented digital artists and makers to the industry and to the world, to demonstrate that while they have the old heritage and techniques, the way they are designing their pieces is now completely different.”
Tan explains how Made in Jingdezhen’s mission is to leverage its global name recognition in order to change people’s perceptions. “If you come to the show, you’ll see that what is presented from the Jingdezhen region is totally different. And it’s not just porcelain – you have people working with lacquer, silver, wood and traditional textiles, and you’ll be able to see them making this work at the show.”
“In 10 years’ time, I would like to think that I helped a lot of Chinese designers and brands to be known, established, and then accepted.”
Zhuo Tan, director of Design Shanghai
For businesses coming from overseas to exhibit and do business at Design Shanghai, Tan acknowledges that it requires a certain pioneering mindset – though the fair works hard to mitigate any challenges. She also identifies a strong and growing desire for authenticity among Chinese buyers, while acknowledging that concerns over intellectual property linger. “My argument is that China is a big country with a lot of people. Those who will buy your product would never buy copies. And for the people who couldn’t afford it, they are never going to be your customers anyway.”
One of the great strengths of Design Shanghai is its proactive and persistent advocacy of those studios who take the leap to do business in China – making connections, facilitating deals, and following up months later to see if orders were completed and to offer assistance if needed. “We try to put people in the right direction,” says Tan.
Perhaps surprisingly, Design Shanghai is a British company, with no involvement from the Chinese state. But that’s not to say it is unsupported: the mayor of Shanghai visits, as does the Culture Bureau Director; it receives television coverage, and the opening ceremony is a major event. “The government wants to support creativity,” says Tan, “and we are in the sweet spot.”
On the eve of Design Shanghai’s 12th outing, Tan now has ample perspective to reflect on what she sees as the show’s core philosophy. “We want to be the bridge between West and East, bringing exchanges and communications. A bridge that can connect to the right channels and the right people,” she says.
“If I look back in 10 years’ time, I would like to think that I helped a lot of Chinese designers and brands to be known, established, and then accepted by the international design community. That is my personal passion.”
Design Shanghai 2025 runs from 4–7 June at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Center. All photography courtesy of Design Shanghai