4 the Rong Design Library completed a nationwide craft survey and continues to attract global designers and environmentalists. More than 30 domestic and international designers now reside in Qingshan Village. The library's operations are strategic and enduring. Since its inception, the three curators initiated an annual Rong-resident Designer Plan, which invites international designers to mainland China for a month-long residency. During this residency, they can conduct research and craft designs based on traditional Chinese crafts and materials. This programme connects designers and craftsmen from different cultures and fields through on-site crafts exploration, design creation, prototyping and production. They complete a piece or a set of work during their residency. Since 2015, more than 50 designers from diferent countries and regions have participated in the programme, including Belgium, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Germany, Italy, Thailand, the United States, Portugal, Spain and Hong Kong. In 2023, the library relaunched the Rong-resident Designer Plan and, along with the SaloneSatellite, initiated the Rong Design Award 2023. This relaunch helped spread the design philosophy of Rong globally. future collaborations. By 2015, the team established China's first traditional materials library, the Rong Design Library, which was dedicated to cataloguing and preserving traditional Chinese materials for global artists and designers. Originally an abandoned and dilapidated building called Dongwu Hall, the site transformed into Rong Design Library under the vision of designer Zhang Lei and his team, who spent a year revamping it meticulously. They seamlessly integrated the preservation of nature and the spirit of Chinese folk tradition into contemporary design spaces. In 2018, the PINWU designers began practising craftsmanship in Qingshan Village, teaching practical skills like gold net weaving and carving. This initiative not only replaced bamboo forest cultivation, purifying water sources, but also provided villagers with eco-friendly income. The artworks gained recognition and were featured in art exhibitions. "Based on the deconstruction research of traditional Chinese craftsmanship and materials, we subvert traditional design language, promote the regeneration of traditional crafts and create contemporary design works, which we call Future Tradition." After more than a decade of efforts, 21 Jovana Zhang Christoph John Zhang Lei
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