• The design for China's high-speed rail was given the highest honor at this year's Beijing International Design Week (BJDW).

The design for China's high-speed rail was given the highest honor at this year's Beijing International Design Week (BJDW). (Photo : www.inhabitat.com)

China's high-speed rail bested 10 other nominees to receive the "Classic Design Award" at this year's Beijing International Design Week (BJDW), the China Daily reported.

According to the report, the "Classic Design Award" is given to entities that have implemented and used projects that exert influences and contribute on China's social progress, cultural development, industry promotion and urban construction.

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Last year, the China Grand Canal Protective Restoration Design Project received the grand prize.

The other nominees for this year's BJDW Awards include:

- Great Hall of the People in Beijing
- The restoration project of the Buddhist statue Thousand-Hand Kwan-yin among Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing Municipality
- The "new Chinese-style outfit" for APEC suits
- Yanqi Lake International Convention Center
- China's manned space flight project
- National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing
- Wuzhen town in Zhejiang Province
- Dujiangyan in Sichuan Province
- China's giant e-commerce platform Taobao

Established four years ago, the Beijing Design Week has helped shape and empower design in the cultural, economic and social-scapes of contemporary China.

The BJDW has also become an active mediator in establishing cooperation among private and public stakeholders both locally and internationally, investing in design to assess common goals and local solutions for the future of urban development in China, according to its website.

Launched in 2009, Beijing Design Week is co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Government, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, to nurture a culture of design in the Chinese context.

The BJDW has seven key sections: Design Service, Design Award, Design Night, Design Trade, Guest City, Smart City and Design Hop.

The event also features hundreds of international exhibitions, public events and trading platforms as the leading design event in the country.