The significance of the internet to China’s reform
and opening up cannot be overemphasized.
In the past two decades since 2000,
the internet has gained in popularity in China. Particularly,
it has played a decisive role in the rapid development
of the country in the past 15 years.
Economic development requires efforts on two fronts.
First, we need to improve the efficiency and quality of production
and boost creativity in design; second,
we need to ensure unimpeded distribution channels
that allow factory goods to reach the market at the fastest rate and at the lowest cost.
The internet has been a driving force behind these efforts,
thus facilitating China’s industrial development.
In addition, the development of the internet has significantly bridged our gap
with developed countries in terms of developing design philosophy
and training design professionals.
With the help of the Internet, we can now gain quicker access
to state-of-the-art design technology and philosophy.
The role of the internet is more visible in distribution channels,
and a telling example is e-commerce.
On the internet, the general public find it much easier to express their opinions
and make critical comments on products,
which contributes to industrial production and government transformation.
Meanwhile, rural and urban residents are placed on an equal footing
in terms of accessing and sharing information,
and on the internet every citizen can see in real time national progress
and rapid urban development.
This in turn kindles the public’s aspirations for greater prosperity,
and these aspirations translate into strong driving forces for development.