Wuxi - Peel back the curtain

We are always talking about the design schools in China and wondering what are they like. Here is a movie done by a class at a design school inWuxi:

I especially love how the camera keeps panning out the window to show you how time is passing by.

Looks like a Design Fundamentals class almost anywhere in the world.

Maybe that’s just how the textbooks taught them? :smiley:


One difference I see is, in the US, people don’t work together as a class. Everyone brings their work home or back to their individual studios. In the video, what I see is a lot of interaction between the students. I don’t know if it’s a group or individual project, but the atmosphere certainly looks very positive.

Oh, and there’s are sooooo many girls!!! I wish that happens here as well. :stuck_out_tongue:

Two comments you made which I have noticed in my current position, teaching at Hong Kong Polytechnic University:

  1. The ability to work in groups is oustanding. They divide up the labor and develop an amazing amount of work. Quality work.

  2. There are a lot of female students in Industrial Design here. I am teaching nine students in one class - 6 are female and 3 are male. Another class of sixteen students is definately 50/50.

Here is an interesting I am still trying to figure out.

China/Hong Kong students and designers like to work in groups.

China/Hong Kong designers say they admire the way US work in teams.

I have to get to the bottom of this because in my mind their statement does not make sense. I think it has something to do with the definition of “team” in each culture.

Can anyone explain?

OMG that’s my school! XD
The disuss on TEAM WORK or Being independence has been last so long. It’s not easy for me to set the definition but so far as I know in my major of product design we usually working in groups on projects/ homework assigments, sometimes we work with random classmates. In my opinion, a team means one talent leader and other smart guys exploring. :wink:

I visited Wuxi Industrial Design Park last year for a few meetings.

What the government has done there amazing. They have built an entire city devoted to product design and development, from the education facilities to the ability to house foreign companies wanting to invest there. Tax incentives abound!

It is clear what the future holds for globalized product design and development coming out of northern china.

Whoa!