Eloquence Is Productivity: The 147th AALD Salon·iSpeak520 (Beijing Station) Successfully Held

During the process of implementing design outcomes and disseminating design concepts, a designer's ability to deliver speeches is as crucial as their professional design skills. "Eloquence is productivity." On September 29, 2025, the 147th Asian Association of Lighting Designers (AALD) Salon·iSpeak520 and the Launch Ceremony of the 11th Asian Lighting Design Awards were successfully held in Beijing. The event attracted numerous industry professionals to witness the beauty of design and the power of expression together. This event was hosted by AALD, co-organized by the DL International Lighting Design Center and the Tongheng Heming Optoelectronics Research Institute, undertaken by Yangguang Media, and received strong support from partners Liangmeiji and Zhongzhao Jinzhi.

iSpeak520 Speech Show

As a speech platform dedicated to young designers, iSpeak520 adopts a unique format of "5-minute speeches + 20 PowerPoint slides" to provide a stage for emerging talents in the industry. The event also invited renowned experts and senior designers as judges, including heavyweight guests such as Ren Yuanhui, the Honorary Chairman of AALD, and Wang Jinsui, the former Chairman of the Illuminating Engineering Society of China. With their profound professional expertise and rich experience, they provided forward-looking guidance and suggestions to young designers.

At the beginning of the event, Rong Haolei, Executive Director of AALD and Dean of the Tongheng Heming Optoelectronics Research Institute, delivered a speech. He emphasized the importance of "eloquence is productivity" during the process of implementing design outcomes and disseminating design concepts. He believed that designers should not only possess professional design skills but also have excellent speech delivery abilities to transform design concepts into perceivable industry language, thereby enhancing project implementation efficiency.

During the speech session, Cheng Chunxiao, Design Lead at Tongheng Heming Optoelectronics Research Institute; Zhang Li, Founder of Beijing Taihe Lighting Design; Hao Fa, Representative Designer from Hebei Guangyan Art; and Qiu Wangqing, Director of the Lighting Design Branch at the Architectural Design and Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, took the stage one after another. They demonstrated the power of "eloquence is productivity" through their eloquent speeches.

Qi Bin, Executive Director of AALD and Chief Architect of Tsinghua University Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., and Wang Lixiong, Executive Director of AALD and Professor/Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Architecture, Tianjin University, presented honorary certificates to the speakers, encouraging young designers to continue to delve into the field of "design expression" with professional recognition.

Launch Ceremony of the Awards

At the event, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the launch of the 11th Asian Lighting Design Awards became the focal point. Mr. Ren Yuanhui, Mr. Wang Jinsui, Wang Zhengtao, Secretary-General of the Beijing Illuminating Engineering Society, Dean Rong Haolei, Professor Wang Lixiong, Xu Dongliang, Executive Director of AALD and Lead Designer at the DL International Lighting Design Center, and Ma Bin, Secretary-General of AALD, jointly took the stage to witness the launch of this industry event.

Beijing was selected as the first stop for the launch ceremony, aiming to gather design forces from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and radiate from the capital to lead the development trend of lighting design across the country and even in Asia.

At the event, three senior designers shared their award-winning works and practical experiences from the Asian Lighting Design Awards. An Hongjiang, a designer from the DL International Lighting Design Center, took the Luxian Ancient City Site Museum as an example to deeply analyze the important role of lighting design in cultural heritage conservation. Liang Yuquan, the Head of Design at PROL Lightstone Design, vividly demonstrated the futuristic and local characteristics of the Chongqing Science Hall. Feng Tiancheng, Director of the Kaiyang Institute at Tongheng Heming Optoelectronics Research Institute, shared the dual light perception experience of Yulin Ancient City Street under the theme of "Reviving History with Light: Balancing Tradition and Innovation." Adopting the "5-minute speech + 20 PowerPoint slides" format, the three designers illustrated the deep connection between "design expression" and "project implementation" through practical cases.

Summary and Outlook

Mr. Qi Bin delivered a concluding speech at the event, proposing the core concept of "Lighting makes beauty more dazzling." He stated that reasonable lighting design is a pursuit and interpretation of beauty, capable of revitalizing historical buildings at night and showcasing the charm of modern buildings amidst light and shadow, thereby evoking people's inner perception of beauty.

This event was co-hosted by Mr. Gao Shuai, AALD Beijing Coordinator and Deputy Chief Engineer of Tongheng Heming Optoelectronics Research Institute, and Mr. Ma Bin. Ms. Zhu Yuerong, Assistant to the Secretary-General of AALD, provided a comprehensive and professional introduction to the Asian Lighting Design Awards, the iSpeak520 speech competition format, and the highlights of the event. During the interactive discussion session, participants engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges based on the event theme and the content shared by the guests, providing multi-dimensional perspectives for the growth of young designers and offering suggestions for the development of the industry.

Liu Dan, Deputy General Manager of Liangmeiji, attended the event. Li Wenkai, Director of Liangmeiji's North China Region, also delivered a wonderful speech, providing valuable industry insights and inspiration to the participants.

At the end of the event, the book signing ceremony featuring new works by Mr. Ren Yuanhui and Mr. Xu Dongliang pushed the atmosphere to a climax. The limited edition professional works became a bridge connecting design ideas. Contrary to the belief that old age slows one down, the 94-year-old Mr. Ren Yuanhui demonstrated a different perspective with his actions. This timeless enthusiasm not only resonated with all the guests but also proved with vivid footprints that passion is unrelated to age and that craftsmanship always keeps pace with the times.

As the first stop of AALD's annual series of salon events this year, the "iSpeak·520" event officially kicked off its national tour. In the future, AALD will continue to visit numerous cities and regions, including Shanghai, Jinan, Hangzhou, Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Fuzhou, using "design expression" as a link to gather industry wisdom and promote innovation and development in Asian lighting design.