BEIJING - In an effort to boost technology-driven design, the capital launched an international event on Monday. 

The 2011 Beijing Design Week and the First Beijing International Design Triennial, the biggest event of its kind in the city, will last until Oct 3 and feature more than 130 activities, 30 international events and almost 100 Chinese exhibitions. 

The weeklong extravaganza will showcase the country's burgeoning design scene and bring leading creative minds to share experiences and nurture new ideas, organizers said. 

The people behind design weeks in London, Milan, Berlin, Helsinki and Seoul have been invited to participate, along with more than 20 masters of design and about 400 first-class international designers. 

More than 30 Chinese artists will display their talents in exhibitions at the China Millennium Monument. 

As domestic design brands play a more influential role on the world stage, the ultimate goal is to help "made in China" become "designed in China", organizers said. 

"When it comes to design, Beijing may not have the economic pull of Milan or New York, but it knows how to celebrate and engage with design in thought-provoking and exciting ways," said 32-year-old Wei Minghui, who studied interior design at Tsinghua University's academy of art and design. 

Wei founded the design company WMH in 2009 and makes products from recycled materials such as abandoned advertisement fabrics and paper boxes. 

"Chinese designers need opportunities to show themselves and introduce their products to consumers. Beijing Design Week is a good chance to show us to the world," he said. "Ask the creative community in the city if it's a good city for designers, and the answer is a definite yes." 

Kari Korkman, chairman of Helsinki Design Week, said: "It is amazing. Beijing's inaugural design week... has established the framework for richer content in the years to come." 

Finnish designers have introduced new notions about water conservation to China, making people aware of how much water they consume in daily activities like cooking a bowl of rice, he said. 

Merete Brunander, chairwoman of Copenhagen Design Week, said she is impressed that Chinese designers have paid a lot of attention to sustainability and are eager to learn from their international counterparts. 

"So far I haven't seen much of Chinese design on the world stage, but it will take some time for it to spread," she said. 

(Source: China Daily)