Alberto Sanseverino from Italy, who served on the jury panel, remarked the Li ethnic culture has deep roots in the Chinese culture overall.

For Alberto Sanseverino from Italy, founder of INVENTI Brand & Strategy Studio, his second visit to China's Hainan Province revealed a dimension of the island-province beyond its reputation as a tropical gateway. What he encountered was a dynamic and rapidly evolving tourism destination poised to become a major center for global creative industries.

Held on September 23, 2025, in southeast Hainan's Lingshui Li Autonomous County, the Award Ceremony of the 2025 (4th) Hainan International Designer Competition, alongside the Lingshui Creative Design Investment Promotion Event, served as a powerful testament to this transformation.

The event attracted designers, artists, and investors from around the world, drawn not only by the prestige of the competition but also by the significant opportunities unfolding in Hainan, fueled by its development as a world-class Free Trade Port.

Hainan Intangible Cultural Heritage Product Design Exhibition.

A confluence of tradition and innovation

This year's theme, "Connecting the World Digitally, Design Empowering Global Reach," inspired a remarkable pool of talent. The competition garnered 1,325 submissions from 676 teams and organizations spanning over 20 countries and regions, including 56 international and 126 local Hainan entrants.

Entries were divided into two tracks, "IP and Product Design" and "Digital and Interactive Design," showcasing innovative approaches to key sectors, such as the digital economy, cultural tourism, and cultural, geographic, and industrial features of Hainan. These encompassed the rich cultural heritage of the Li and Miao ethnic groups, tropical island aesthetics, aerospace technology, and the enduring influence of Dongpo culture.

"I really admire the talents for how they combined tradition and innovation from IP creation to new media arts," remarked Sanseverino, who also served on the jury panel. "Hainan has a (fascinating) natural environment and Li ethnic culture that is very interesting, and the Li ethnic culture has deep roots in the Chinese culture overall."

Design as a catalyst for regional development

A central focus of the event was to position Hainan, and Lingshui in particular, as a premier destination for the creative industries. This aligns with the province's vision of establishing itself as an "International Design Island," a cornerstone of the Hainan Free Trade Port's development.

At the creative design investment promotion event, local officials highlighted compelling investment and collaboration prospects in such areas as digital content creation, game development, and brand internationalization.

"We envision this competition as a vital bridge connecting domestic and international design talent with key sectors of Hainan's economy, including tourism, modern services, high-tech, and high-efficiency tropical agriculture. We intend to translate innovative concepts into tangible outcomes," stated Wang Xiuhao, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Hainan Province.

Dr. Peng Zhang, a Ph.D. in Design from South Korea's Kyungpook National University, introduces his products to participants.

The competition winners echoed the appeal of Hainan's natural environment and policies. Dr. Peng Zhang, a Ph.D. in Design from South Korea's Kyungpook National University, was awarded for his design of an intelligent rehabilitation wheelchair driven by a brain-computer interface for brain-limb coordination.

"My product is ideally suited for the healthcare industry. Hainan's exceptional natural environment positions it as a perfect hub for health and wellness tourism," Dr. Zhang explained. "Free Trade Port policies, including visa exemptions, tax benefits, and streamlined talent recruitment, make it significantly easier to consider establishing a project here, potentially bringing expertise and advanced medical technologies from South Korea."

Cai Yangjian (second from the left), who won the gold prize in the "IP and Product Design" track for his deep-sea exploration underwater robot Voyager-UR660Plus.

Similarly, Cai Yangjian, an engineer at Hainan Flyer Science and Technology Co., Ltd., who won the gold prize in the "IP and Product Design" category for his deep-sea exploration underwater robot Voyager-UR660Plus, emphasized the strategic advantages. "The favorable tax policies will facilitate the global sourcing of high-quality materials at lower costs, reducing R&D expenses. We also aim to leverage the Free Trade Port to expand our services and products into customers in Southeast Asian, and even globally," he said.

Fan Yu, Senior Creative Design Specialist Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, gives a speech on the theme of "The Designer in the Age of AI."

Li Yaozhang (center) and his team, who won a silver prize in the creation of the project "VR Project for the Digital Museum of Hainan Opera Empowered by Digital Intelligence."

An open invitation to global collaboration

The award ceremony facilitated insightful discussions on forward-looking topics, such as the transformative role of AI in design.

The project "VR Project for the Digital Museum of Hainan Opera Empowered by Digital Intelligence," a silver prize winner led by Li Yaozhang, Deputy Director of the Design and Media Teaching and Research Department at Hainan Vocational College of Art, exemplifies this forward-thinking approach. "Design is a vibrant and essential industry. Our focus is on leveraging digital design to promote Hainan's intangible cultural heritage on the global stage," Mr. Li noted.

The overarching message was clear and compelling: Hainan extends an open invitation to global creative talents. It is actively building bridges with designers and innovative enterprises worldwide, offering a unique blend of natural beauty, cultural richness, and progressive policies to co-create a dynamic future.