Beijing
北京

Empowerment Through the Integration of Culture and Technology
文化与科技融合赋能

Abstract

As China's political, cultural, technological, and international exchange hub, Beijing has cultivated a dual-driven 'culture + technology' design ecosystem rooted in its 3,000-year urban history. Since being designated a UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2012, this megacity of 21.7 million residents has strategically integrated industrial heritage revitalization, digital innovation, and sustainable design through systemic policymaking and spatial restructuring, positioning design as a core driver of urban transformation. From the 798 Art Zone—a repurposed factory complex turned global contemporary art landmark—to the Shougang Park industrial site reimagined as a Winter Olympics 'ice and snow wonderland', Beijing employs design as a medium to weave narratives of historical continuity and modern reinvention.

The rise of Beijing' s design industry originated in early 21st-century cultural awakening and spatial revolution. The organic emergence of the 798 Art Zone in 2003 pioneered industrial heritage adaptive reuse, where artists transformed Bauhaus-style factories into interdisciplinary creative hubs, catalyzing 23 art clusters such as Songzhuang. The 2012 'City of Design' designation institutionalized the sector into urban strategy: Beijing launched the Design Capital Development Plan, established a coordination center, and forged a 'one core, multiple poles' industrial framework. Zhongguancun Science City emerged as a digital design engine, Shougang Park specialized in sci-f and metaverse design, while the Sub-Center Canal Business District fostered green architecture clusters. By 2023, the design industry's added value exceeded 300 billion yuan, growing at 12.5% annually, with industrial design, digital content, and smart cities forming three 100-billion-yuan sectors. Commercial complexes like Parkview Green redefned retail spaces through 'vertical art gallery' concepts.

Currently, Beijing aims to become a 'global digital economy benchmark city', elevating design into high-value innovation. Zhongguancun Software Park hosts ByteDance and Baidu in developing AI-generated content (AIGC) tools, while collaborations like the Beijing Architectural Design Institute and Tsinghua University's 'Digital Forbidden City' project pioneer intelligent cultural heritage preservation. From the acupuncture-style regeneration of Dashilar historic districts to Xiong'an New Area's 'City of the Future' blueprint, Beijing's design practices safeguard the cultural DNA of its Central Axis UNESCO bid while prototyping sustainable megacity solutions. This ancient capital leverages design as a fulcrum to synergize cultural preservation, technological innovation, and urban governance, offering the world an innovative paradigm blending Eastern wisdom with technological rationality for global megacity transitions.

摘要

北京，作为中国的政治、文化、科技与国际交往中心，以三千年建城史为基底，在当代城市发展中构建了“文化+科技”双轮驱动的设计产业生态。这座拥有2170万人口的超大城市，自2012年加入联合国教科文组织创意城市网络，成为“设计之都”以来，通过系统性政策引导与空间重构，将工业遗产活化、数字技术创新与可持续设计深度融合，推动设计产业成为城市转型升级的核心动能。从798艺术区废旧工厂转型为全球当代艺术地标，到首钢园工业遗址化身冬奥会“冰雪奇迹”，北京以设计为媒介，在历史层积中书写着新旧共生的城市叙事。

北京设计产业的勃兴始于21世纪初的文化自觉与空间革命。2003年798艺术区的自发形成，标志着工业遗产再利用模式的开端，艺术家与设计师将包豪斯风格厂房改造为跨界创意空间，催生出宋庄等23个艺术聚落。2012年“设计之都”称号的获得，促使设计产业正式纳入城市战略—北京市发布《设计之都建设发展规划纲要》，成立设计之都协调推进中心，构建“一核多极”产业布局：以中关村科学城为数字设计创新引擎，首钢园区聚焦科幻与元宇宙设计，城市副中心运河商务区培育绿色建筑集群。至2023年，北京设计产业增加值突破3000亿元，年增速达12.5%，形成工业设计、数字内容、智慧城市三大千亿级赛道，侨福芳草地等商业综合体更以“垂直艺术馆”模式重新定义消费空间设计。

当前，北京正以“全球数字经济标杆城市”为目标，推动设计产业向高价值环节攀升。中关村软件园集聚字节跳动、百度等企业，开发AIGC设计工具重塑内容生产范式；北建院与清华大学联合研发的“数字故宫”项目，开创文化遗产智慧化保护新模式。从大栅栏历史街区“针灸式”更新到雄安新区“未来之城”蓝图，北京的设计实践既守护着中轴线申遗的文化基因，也探索着超大城市可持续发展的中国方案。这座古老都城，正以设计为支点，撬动文化传承、科技创新与城市治理的深层融合，为全球特大城市转型提供兼具东方智慧与技术理性的创新范式。