This past week the state-owned corporation, China Merchants Group, and the worlds largest museum of decorative arts and design, the Victoria and Albert Museum, signed, sealed and are set to deliver the first major museum of design in China. Quite the highly ambitions plan you might say, but after the recent collaboration agreement the developments are now much more than just a twinkle in the eyes of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
At the ceremonial signing, V&A Director, Martin Roth and COO of the V&A, Tim Reeve passed the order with Mr Sun Chengming, Vice-President of CMG, in what marks a historical moment between Eastern and Western relations, with the first collaboration between one of the oldest and most influential companies in China and a public institution in the UK. Shenzhen, the UNESCO status City of Design, will be the location for the Design Museum set to open a wider audiences’ eyes to China’s creative flourish, whilst also showcasing the most high-quality international Chinese design, with ropes expecting to be cut in around late 2016 in the Shekou district.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy a dedicated V&A gallery within the Shekou Museum containing curated displays from its own collections and major exhibitions. For now though, its high hopes on both sides with the V&A eager to “share collections, knowledge and expertise” and CMG’S Mr Sun looking to a “redevelopment of the Shekou district of Shenzhen” that by all means “will deliver a truly wonderful new museum”.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of V&A