The 18th Xuanyuan Automotive Bluebook Forum, themed "Turning Point," was held in Guangzhou from May 15 to May 17. Zhang Yongliang, Director of Dongfeng Motor's Global Design Center, delivered a speech at the event.
He emphasized that while technology rapidly evolves, culture endures. Dongfeng Motor is committed to maintaining the resilience of Chinese originality amidst industry shifts, aiming to build an Eastern design discourse system for Chinese automobiles with the cultural confidence of "viewing the world on an equal footing."
Zhang Yongliang first referenced Steve Jobs' perspective: "Technology can become obsolete, but culture does not." Citing the recent viral popularity of grassroots sports events like "Su Chao" and Guizhou's "Village Super League," he highlighted how cheerleaders in traditional ethnic attire, ritual dances imitating the Miao ethnic group's ancestral worship, and ethnic dances of the Yi people in Sichuan showcased an intrinsic cultural confidence. These ancient traditions are not confined to museums but are vibrantly integrated into contemporary life, enthusiastically embraced by the post-95 and post-00 generations.
Zhang Yongliang believes this generation of youth inherently possesses the confidence to "view the world as equals," characterized by their independence and lack of blind admiration. He suggested that China's automotive design industry should learn from young people and cultivate this mindset. Only with such a perspective, he argued, can Chinese design truly shed its burdens and confidently define and validate itself according to its own aesthetic standards.
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