London's Victoria and Albert Museum, which has the largest collection of decorative art and design, has been working with Chinese partners to open a unique museum in South China.

Experts from the British institution are helping to set up Shekou Design Museum in the industrial city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which will offer some of the best of international design.

"We hope to expand an understanding of design and make more people know about the mission and mandate of the V&A, which offers interesting parallels with the ambitions of a city like Shenzhen, which is rapidly moving from a place where things are made to a place where things are designed and created," says Luisa Mengoni, head of the V&A Gallery in Shenzhen.

The London V&A signed a five-year collaboration agreement with China Merchants Group and China Merchants Property Development in June 2014. The new museum, designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, is scheduled to open in 2017.

Mengoni says the V&A Gallery, which will be devoted to international design in the 20th and 21st centuries, will be housed in the Shenzhen museum.

"It's been fascinating to see how many changes have occurred on the scene since the China Design Now exhibition in 2008 (held at the V&A in London)," she says. "It's also interesting to follow emerging young designers who have either studied abroad or been exposed to international practices and are now contributing to the design scene in China and really shaping it for future generations."

Apart from opening a gallery, the London V&A will also advise the new museum on acquisitions, staff training, caring for collections, exhibitions, education and marketing, as well as provide guidance on standard operation procedures.

"The collaborative dimension of the Shekou project and the productive cross-cultural dialogue with Chinese museum professionals, scholars and creative practitioners is a key driver for our work in and with China, and we hope will be a significant factor for its success," says Anais Aguerre, head of international initiatives and project director at the London V&A.

She adds that Shekou Design Museum has come at a time when creative industries are being considered a pillar of future economic growth in China.

To better understand the local scene, Mengoni says the V&A has been participating in design, creative and networking events in China that have offered "an invaluable opportunity to have a real sense of what is happening in the field and its main actors".

"We hosted the first of a series of talks - the Shekou Sessions - at this year's Beijing Design Week. These events allow us to open a dialogue between Chinese and international designers," she says, adding that the series will be continued in Shenzhen during the Bi-City Biennial of Urbanism/Architecture, now in its fifth year.

Exhibits at the event range from digital design and architecture to metalwork, illustrating the scale and diversity of modern and contemporary design around the world and its impact on people's lives.

The London V&A has one of the most important and comprehensive collections of Chinese art and design dating back thousands of years to the present day and continues to collect contemporary works.

The museum has held many successful exhibitions across in China, including at the National Museum of China, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai Museum, Capital Museum, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Liaoning Provincial Museum and Palace Museum.

The V&A has also played a role in bringing an understanding of Chinese culture to Europe through exhibitions such as 2013 Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings, billed as the first comprehensive presentation on the topic in Europe since the 1930s.

In 2005, the British museum staged Between Past and Future, the first major display in Britain of contemporary Chinese photography and cinema.

For China Daily

( China Daily European Weekly 10/16/2015 page16)