Housing a renowned collection built around outstanding design and craft, the Victoria & Albert Museum brings China Design Now to London in March 2008. The first ever exhibition in England to explore the contemporary art scene and philosophy of China in England, the show is categorized by region: Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and then by medium. Shanghai represents the “dream city” of fashion and lifestyle, Beijing the “future city” of architecture and urban planning and Shenzhen the “frontier city” of graphic design.

Curators Lauren Parker and Prof. Zhang Hong Xing spent more than three years researching the artists most representative of the contemporary Chinese art and design landscape. The final list include photographers Chen Man, Weng Fen and Hu Yang, furniture designers Jiang Qiong Er and Shan Fan, fashion designers Lu Kun and Han Feng, graphic designers Alan Chan, Wang Xu and multi-medium designer Ji Ji. All have made an impact on the international art world in the last few years. Noted Beijing television station CCTV, the Olympic “Bird's Nest” stadium, and the “Water Cube” aquatics center are among the architectural highlights. Wang Kar-wei's In the Mood for Love is representative of Shanghai's bygone era and is featured prominently in the exhibition. China Design Now showcases over 200 pieces of work from over 100 designers laid out across 900 square feet of the museum's main floor exhibition hall.

China Design Now runs from March 15 – July 13, 2008. The exhibition will subsequently travel across North American and Europe through 2010.