Since 2011 the Dragon Design Foundation, through its annual awards, has recognized designers who are pushing forward the graphic and industrial design industry in China.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Dragon Design Foundation awards this year honored 70 prominent figures whose contributions have laid a solid foundation for the country's design industry and education since 1949.

A ceremony on Dec 13 in Beijing announced these figures including Zhou Lingzhao, acknowledged as one of the chief visual art designers who raised the profile of the People's Republic of China; Liang Sicheng the late architect and architectural historian; and Zhang Kaiji the late architect who designed the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge.

The foundation also awarded dozens of emerging designers from across the country whose works have not only promoted economic progress but also set good examples in providing creative solutions to sustainable development and social charity causes.