When West Meets East: Uncovering the Chinese Perspective on Design and Designing

Abstract:

Although Chinese designers are gaining international recognition, design research (the study of design and designing) is still informed by a predominantly Western perspective. In this paper, we explore how taking into consideration the Chinese perspective can advance design research, by challenging and expanding prevailing understandings of design and designing. We first uncover the Chinese perspective, by tracing the emergence of modern design in China, discussing the meaning of the Chinese word for design, shè jì (设计), and elaborating some important aspects of the Chinese traditional culture (harmony, holism, and change) that influence Chinese design practices. We then argue how this Chinese perspective can foster connections between diverse paradigms of design research, counter the tendency toward reductionism in design research, and encourage experimentation in design research methods. This paper contributes to advance design research through inclusion of the Chinese perspective. By so doing, it also sustains the agenda of decolonizing design research.

Keywords:

• design research
• design practices
• Chinese culture
• East–West
• decolonial

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Jin Ma for her valuable comments on a previous version of this article.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Shanghai Educational Sciences Planning Office under Grant 2023 Shanghai Educational Sciences Research Program [C2023033], the National Key Research and Development Program of China [Grant Number 2021YFF0900602], and the National Late-Stage funded Project of Social Sciences of China [Grant Number 21FYSB037].

Notes on contributors

Alice Comi

Alice Comi is an Associate Professor in the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University. Her research explores the intersections between design and organization studies, with a focus on situated practices of designing and organizing. [email protected]

Daniel Graff

Daniel Graff is a Distinguished Research Fellow in the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University. His research examines designing in practice, and in different contexts. His work is published in international journals in design and group studies (e.g. Design Studies, the Journal of Engineering Design, and Team Performance Management). [email protected]

Xu Jiang

Xu Jiang is a Professor at Tongji University, College of Design and Innovation. He serves as the Vice Director of China Good Design Committee of the Innovation Design Alliance of China, and the Vice Secretary General of the Industrial Design Branch of the Chinese Mechanics Engineering Society (CMES). He has been awarded the title of “China’s Top Ten Young People in Design Industry.” His research explores design management, design technology, design philosophy and embodied design. [email protected]

Fan Fei

Fan Fei is an Associate Professor at Tongji University, College of Design and Innovation. Her research explores Chinese practices in design management and entrepreneurship, and their implications for higher education. [email protected]