Suzhou Design Week boosts the city's creative industries

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01:23

‍The historic eastern Chinese city of Suzhou has just wrapped up its first ever design week. Organizers said their aim was to boost the river town's cultural and creative industries by promoting its intangible cultural heritage and luring innovative and talented artists to the area.

Suzhou's first-ever Design Week (SDW) welcomed 40 artists from China, Italy, S. Korea, the Netherlands, France, Japan and the UK.

Venice is the guest city of 2018 Suzhou Design Week. /Courtesy of SDW

With the theme of "Grand Designs, New Economy," it included more than 30 exhibitions that focused on "green design."

Its goal was to highlight how design is now one of the driving forces of Suzhou's local economy and has helped it become a bridge for cultural exchanges, as well a center of innovation, creativity and development.

A building model on display at Suzhou Design Week. /Courtesy of SDW

During the week, urban regeneration projects in the ancient city were shown, tying into the theme of sustainable development.

There was also a special exhibition entitled "Six Chapters of a Floating Life," designed to raise awareness around the need to preserve intangible cultural heritage.

A delegation from Italy, which included brand representatives and designers, as well as elites from the worlds of business, government and academia, visited Suzhou's Innovation Parks and shared their future plans with local entrepreneurs.