I also second enigma’s post-response to davidhu’s reference on Chinese mentality about “copying”.
I am not an expert on Chinese or any Asian culture. I have started reading some books, yet it is too early to express any opinion (ok, my previous post was more related to everyday life observations).
However, i do have the feeling (and also i have talked with western desigeners who have been to HK and China for a long time) that Chinese are 100% into capitalism.
I would agree with davidhu’s post IF we would see from the Chinese factories that copy (in order to improve) an evolution from copy-cat makers to original manufacturers. IF they would try after 100K copies to alter/add/modify something from the product they used to copy.
About design education in China (i do not have first hand experience) however i am wondering, will the Government is wiling to create “thinkers” and not a design-graduate-product line? Maybe they practice Mao’s words
"“Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting progress in the arts and the sciences and a flourishing socialist culture in our land.”
Maybe you allow hundreds of flowers (designers) to grow and some (maybe very few of them) will really grow and blossom (excel).
Going back to “thinking”. Thinking and questioning is dangerous in China. Remember Ai WeiWei. Design i believe is a kind of applied philosophy/anthropology/sociology. Design has to suggest, to question, to transform. None is allowed to question.
I know Chinese ancient culture and communist culture create a very complex mindset that indeed must be very difficult for a foreigner (even Asian, not necessarily Western) to understand. This is the challenge and the beauty to live/work in a such a different context. Nevertheless i am really really curious to see how this culture will transform after been exposed to the Western influence. Already it is devastating big parts of it (look at architecture). As mentioned before China is the new wild wild West (in fact East) and to be honest i do not think the conditions and culture of wild West of those times was something for a nation to be proud of. Time will tell.