The Chinese delegates taking part in the Finnish-Chinese design industry event Snowball come from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

Some participants will be from industry groups, such as Ge Zhicai, Chairman of the Shanghai Industrial Design Association. Others will be from the media, such as Urban Magazine’s Wei Pan who will give a presentation on urban youth culture in China and their consumption habits. Others are more traditional, such as industrial designer Yi Zhou of s.point design or “concept jeweller” Qionger Jiang. Companies in the realms of advertising, architecture and fashion will also take part.

Some of the Chinese delegates are already quite well-versed in international design. Jian Feng Pan studied in England and China before delivering branding communication for the Chinese market. One of his specialties was improving the image of foreign brands in China.

All 50 of the Chinese participants at Snowball will have the opportunity to meet some of the best Finnish designers working today. While the Finns will be looking at the large Chinese market, the Chinese designers will get to learn the uniquely Finnish philosophy of design.

There will even be at least one interesting twist to show how ties between Finland and China have developed. Cindy Zhang will be part of the Chinese delegation, even though she represents the Helsinki-headquartered forestry company Stora Enso.

David J. Cord