Zhijiang Shan

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Zhijiang Shan ("ZS") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

ZS : I began my design career in the 1990s, building on a foundation in fine arts and environmental design. This training developed my sensitivity to materiality, composition, and spatial rhythm. Over the years, I transitioned from painting and sculptural installations to interior architecture, drawn by space's profound capacity to express culture, emotion, and daily life.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

ZS : Design, to me, is not merely a profession—it is a way to explore the relationship between people, nature, and space. I became a designer because I hoped to create environments with warmth, emotional resonance, and a sense of cultural dialogue. I don’t design for beauty alone, but for meaning—beauty as an expression of empathy and experience.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

ZS : In a way, design chose me. From childhood, I was fascinated by form and space—playing with clay, building model furniture with my father, rearranging rooms, sketching facades. It wasn’t a career I stumbled into, but a natural extension of how I saw and interacted with the world.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

ZS : I currently work on commercial, hospitality, and cultural spaces—each with a focus on storytelling, materiality, and emotional rhythm. In the future, I hope to contribute more to public cultural infrastructure—museums, libraries, and learning spaces that invite reflection, community, and slowness.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

ZS : Rather than aspiring to be a legend, young designers should begin by becoming keen observers. Ask better questions. Understand that design is not just about giving answers, but about framing the right problems. Go beyond design itself—read literature, listen to people, walk through cities, and engage with everyday life. Depth in design comes from depth in living.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

ZS : A good designer responds to problems thoughtfully. A great designer redefines the questions altogether. Good designers create solutions, while great designers create shifts—in perception, in feeling, in cultural narrative. What separates them is not only talent, but also a sustained curiosity and moral clarity.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

ZS : When every detail feels intentional—nothing excessive, nothing missing—and when the design evokes both clarity and surprise, it is truly good. Great design must function intuitively, resonate emotionally, and remain memorable long after the experience ends.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

ZS : Good design enhances human dignity. It transforms everyday routines into meaningful rituals. By investing in good design, we invest in care, attention, and the long-term well-being of people and communities. It pays dividends in emotion, memory, and trust.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

ZS : I would design a sanctuary for artists, educators, and caregivers—a place where silence, imagination, and healing coexist. In today’s overstimulated world, creating space for inner restoration feels more urgent than ever.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

ZS : A cross-cultural rural design school, rooted in craftsmanship, storytelling, and food. It would be a space where people from different backgrounds come together to learn not only techniques, but values—a return to the essence of community and making.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

ZS : Empathy and subtraction. I design with care—each decision must serve the user, the space, and the story, rather than my personal preferences. I also believe in restraint. Knowing when not to design is as important as knowing when to act. Great design often emerges not from adding more, but from removing the unnecessary.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

ZS : I draw inspiration from a range of figures—Carlo Scarpa for his poetic attention to detail, Tadao Ando for his clarity and spirituality, and Kazuyo Sejima for her ethereal lightness. I’m equally moved by unnamed Chinese artisans whose anonymous creations have shaped generations of aesthetic values.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

ZS : Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals is a masterpiece that deeply resonates with me. It speaks in whispers—through material, silence, and spatial rhythm. I’m also deeply fascinated by the classical Chinese gardens in Suzhou. Their asymmetry, layered pathways, and intimate scale feel like spatial poetry.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

ZS : One that I deeply cherish is “Zun Fu.” It allowed me to distill centuries of ritual-based aesthetics into a contemporary spatial narrative. What makes it meaningful is not its size or form, but its restraint and emotional depth—it respects the past without replicating it.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

ZS : Cultivate your inner world. Observe slowly. Read beyond design—philosophy, poetry, anthropology. I keep sketchbooks, revisit old works, and question my assumptions. Good design is not about knowing more, but about sensing deeper.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

ZS : Perhaps a teacher, or a bookstore owner by a quiet lake. I’ve always loved helping others interpret meaning, and creating spaces—physical or intellectual—where people feel safe and curious.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

ZS : Design is intention made visible. It’s the shaping of experience through form, rhythm, and emotion. It’s not just about solving problems—it’s about asking the right questions and building meaning.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

ZS : My family offered me freedom and trust. My mentors gave me tools and confidence. My collaborators taught me humility and patience. Without them, my vision would not have taken form.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

ZS : A long commitment to listening—to users, to sites, to silence. I always seek clarity over cleverness. A design that speaks softly but lingers long—that’s what I aspire to.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

ZS : Cultural stereotypes, budget restrictions, and the tendency to self-censor. I had to learn that true design requires courage—courage to simplify, to question trends, and to remain sensitive in a noisy world.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

ZS : Designers should present their work with humility, clarity, and a sense of authorship. The work must stand on its own, but context matters—help the audience understand not only what was made, but why it was made. Design is not decoration, it is intention translated into form.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

ZS : Designers should present their work with humility, clarity, and a sense of authorship. The work must stand on its own, but context matters—help the audience understand not only what was made, but why it was made. Design is not decoration, it is intention translated into form.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

ZS : To create spaces that outlive trends—spaces that hold cultural memory, emotional warmth, and symbolic weight. I hope my work can remain relevant not because it's fashionable, but because it resonates with people over time.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

ZS : People expect vision, refinement, and consistency—but also surprise. I believe a respected designer should remain grounded in core values while constantly exploring new forms of expression.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

ZS : Design sets the stage for empathy. It shapes the environments where we learn, wait, converse, and heal. A well-designed space can restore dignity, build trust, and strengthen our collective memory.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

ZS : A mobile, cross-provincial exhibition pavilion—a foldable, sensory, and locally-adaptable space. It challenges static ideas of architecture and allows me to explore how movement and locality inform spatial identity.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

ZS : The most satisfying projects are those where clients trust the process and share the vision. When risk-taking is encouraged and narrative takes the lead, the outcome often exceeds both expectation and function.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

ZS : I hope the industry moves beyond visual novelty and invests more in cultural, ecological, and social depth. Design should be about listening—not just impressing.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

ZS : Toward hybridity—where the lines between architecture, product, interaction, and storytelling are dissolving. The future designer will be equal parts maker, researcher, and community thinker.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

ZS : It varies—from two months to two years, depending on the project's complexity. Some research-based projects remain open-ended, evolving with time rather than concluding.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

ZS : I begin with listening. Before any sketching or rendering, I first immerse myself in the client’s values, the site’s behavior, and the emotional and cultural memory embedded in its context. Only when I’ve observed enough—how people move through a space, how light shifts, how sound lingers—do I begin to design. Design does not begin with invention, it begins with observation and resonance.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

ZS : Design less, mean more. To me, design is not a matter of accumulation, but of intention. A truly powerful space doesn't shout; it whispers something unforgettable. Let the space carry weight—not just walls and finishes, but emotion, meaning, and clarity.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

ZS : The best designs transcend trend. They may resonate with their time, but they are not beholden to it. Trends are fleeting. Good design, when rooted in human truth and cultural relevance, remains relevant long after trends pass. It’s not about fashion—it’s about enduring resonance.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

ZS : Technology is a translator and an enabler. It helps me bring abstract emotions into tangible form, optimize systems, and expand creative boundaries. From parametric design to immersive prototyping, it supports my vision—but never replaces intention. In my process, technology should be in service of humanity, not the other way around.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

ZS : We work across platforms: Rhino and AutoCAD for modeling, Lumion for real-time rendering, Adobe Creative Suite for visual presentation. I also sketch by hand and use physical models to test spatial rhythm. In recent years, I’ve incorporated AI-powered tools for moodboards and early-stage ideation—always with a critical lens.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

ZS : They are the emotional syntax of space. Color sets the tone—calm, warm, reflective. Material carries memory and tactility. Ambient elements like light, sound, and scent complete the sensory choreography. I see them not as decoration, but as narrative components in a spatial story.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

ZS : I wish they’d ask: “Why does it feel the way it feels?” Not just how it’s built, or what it’s made of—but what emotional conditions it invites. That question opens the door to meaning, not just mechanics.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

ZS : I often think: "This took courage." Great design always involves risk—whether it’s doing less, moving slower, or embracing ambiguity. It’s not easy to be subtle, or to invite silence. When I see that bravery, I feel seen.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

ZS : Absolutely. My ideal partner is someone who is curious, honest, and willing to challenge assumptions while holding a shared set of values. I believe in co-authorship. When two minds approach a problem from different angles, but with mutual respect, the results are richer and more humane.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

ZS : Quiet, honest people. My parents, who taught me restraint and care. The craftsmen I work with, who remind me of the dignity in making. Even strangers I observe—how they pause, smile, carry sorrow. These small, human moments shape how I think about space.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

ZS : Books on aesthetics, anthropology, and philosophy have shaped my approach most profoundly. Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s In Praise of Shadows taught me to embrace ambiguity and subtlety as aesthetic values. Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space deepened my understanding of the emotional dimension of space. These texts remind me that design is not just about form—it is about perception and poetic presence.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

ZS : Through disciplined iteration, reflection, and deep listening. I constantly revisited my past works—not only visually, but contextually. What worked? What didn’t? What was missing? Over time, I learned that mastery is not about perfection, but about arriving at precision with empathy.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

ZS : I would love to converse with Geoffrey Bawa about his integration of modernist design with local climate and culture, and with Jorge Luis Borges about how imagined worlds are constructed through language. Both understood that structure can be poetic, and silence can be powerful.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

ZS : I’m honored, but I try to keep a respectful distance from fame. Recognition is affirming, but it can easily distort priorities. I remind myself that legacy is not built on applause—it is built on consistency, care, and the stories spaces continue to tell long after we are gone.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

ZS : Color: ink-washed gray. Place: Kyoto in early winter. Food: handmade noodles in rural Sichuan. Season: late autumn. Thing: an old calligraphy brush gifted by my mentor. Brand: Muji—not for its aesthetic, but for its humble design ethos.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

ZS : A client once asked if I could make a reception area smell like “the first rain of spring.” It was both poetic and perplexing. We ended up collaborating with a scent artist to craft that olfactory experience—and now, it’s an integral part of the project.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

ZS : A meaningful conversation with a collaborator, or seeing a vague sketch evolve into a poetic form—that’s a good day. Motivation comes from clarity of purpose. I remind myself daily why I do what I do.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

ZS : Looking back, yes. I was always rearranging furniture, building things out of clay or cardboard, sketching imaginary cities. I didn’t know it was called design—I only knew I loved shaping the world around me.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

ZS : A thousand years from now, I believe design will return to the intimate scale. We may live slower, closer, and more communally. Instead of solving problems, design will help us ask better questions—about how we live, feel, and belong.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

ZS : Design is not just what I do—it is how I live, observe, and feel the world. If one of my projects can make someone pause, reflect, or feel a sense of calm or belonging, that is the most meaningful reward I could ask for.