SHENZHEN Design Week 2017, themed "Design for the Future," will run from Friday to April 28 with the main venue being Shekou I-Factory Shenzhen, said Liu Jiachen, vice secretary general of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, at a press conference at the Civic Center yesterday.

　　The design week is aimed at "further enhancing the influence of Shenzhen design in the international community, cultivating a group of world-level master designers, creating a top-notch event in the international design field and speeding up the process of building Shenzhen into a modern, international and creative city with a matching level of culture," said Liu Jiachen, who is also secretary general of the organizing committee of Shenzhen Design Week.

　　Han Wangxi, director of the Information Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and also director of the event's organizing committee, said that the design week was an event for everyone. "There are a series of experience activities, which I believe are very important. For example, there is an event called "PACEE Family Project' where parents can bring their kids to enjoy DIY," Han said.

　　"Apart from all the 'hardware' such as the infrastructure, the city center and the public transportation, one of the important features of a city consists in the rich cultural life of its citizens," said Liu Xiaodu, a member of the advisory council of Shenzhen Design Week and curator of Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism Architecture (Shenzhen).

　　"Rich cultural events, such as Shenzhen Design Week, can help maintain the vitality of a city," Liu Xiaodu added.

　　Ole Bouman, a member of the advisory council of Shenzhen Design Week, led an international design team consisting of architects and designers from 15 different countries four years ago to redevelop the original glass factory into what would be the main venue of Shenzhen Design Week — Shekou iFactory. Bouman said that he was happy about the important role the venue is playing for this design week.

　　Sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Shenzhen Design Week is expected to attract over 200 designers and dozens of design institutes from a number of countries, including the U.S., the U.K., France, Canada, Italy and Spain.

　　It will also cover different fields of design, such as industry, fashion, interior design, architecture and graphic design.