Zhang Fan returned to China 11 years ago and has been rooted in Guangzhou ever since. As the vice president of the GAC Research Institute and the director of the Concept and Modeling Design Center, Zhang Fan "read out" the thousand-year-old charm of Guangzhou and also "read out" the urban vitality of Guangzhou. Zhang Fan has a goal: from the design, to help Guangzhou automobile industry and China's own brands reach the world's leading level. This is, of course, extremely challenging, because the design of China's own brand cars has reached the stage of building "cultural confidence": the successful experience of other countries may not be applicable, and car design needs to find a more solid local cultural support in china.
Excellent car design is inseparable from the land where the designer is located, the culture infiltrated, and the customs and urban temperament of his contact, which is the "axiom" of the world's automotive design industry. The good news is that Zhang Fan has enough confidence and confidence in himself and Guangzhou. In his view, "Lingnan culture will certainly be able to nurture the world's leading automobile design." ”
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The "human-machine symbiosis aesthetics" is inspired by Cantonese culture
Zhang Fan, a native of Sichuan, joined Mercedes-Benz after graduating after only one year in Beijing and worked in automotive design in Stuttgart, Germany, for nearly eight years. In 2011, GAC Trumpchi, a self-owned brand of GAC Group, urgently needed world-class automotive design strength, so Zhang Fan came to Guangzhou with his wife and three-month-old child.
After Zhang Fan joined GAC, he received a very challenging project, with a short development time and uncertain market prospects. Zhang Fan led the design team to work with the project team to complete the development of the GS4 from zero to mass production in just 24 months. After that, Zhang Fan's team once again showed their skills on the GAC Trumpchi GS8: "Strong on the outside, soft on the inside" - Zhang Fan presented his understanding of the spirit of Lingnan people at that time on this SUV.
Lingnan culture is also reflected in a series of mass production products of GAC after that, and the new car GA6 released in 2014 has a very southern lion charm on its front face, and its headlights are "southern lion eyes". The Southern Lion originated in the South China Sea of Guangdong Province, and is strong and powerful. Southern lion eyes "eyebrow essence", "big eyes" "wake, jump, flutter, tie", high recognition, people are impressive. At the same time, in the eyes of Lingnan people, the southern lion is a beast, which means auspicious and happy.
When Zhang Fan designed the car, he took lingnan culture as the cornerstone, such as the "eyebrow essence" and "big eyes" of the Southern Lion Lion Eye, which was integrated into the design of the headlights. (File photo) Photo by Zhuang Xiaolong, reporter of Guangzhou Daily and New Flower City
In the concept car full of sense of the future, Zhang Fan also left a little "careful thinking" for Lingnan culture. In November 2011, GAC's E-Linker concept car was unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show. What impressed people was that the dashboard of the concept car was embedded with a fish tank, which showed the "boldness" of Zhang Fan's design. As everyone knows, this "boldness" actually stems from the designer's use of Guangzhou culture. "We wanted to convey the idea that the car would become a mobile 'living room.'" Zhang Fan said. How does this manifest itself? Zhang Fan thought of guangzhou people who like to put a fish tank in the house, in order to pay attention to the "good color head" of "water for wealth" and "more than every year". "In fact, this represents the love of Life of Guangzhou people, and also represents the expression of Spatial Spirituality and Activity of Guangzhou people."
The "new four modernizations" of the automobile (that is, electrification, networking, intelligence, and sharing) have brought great changes to the relationship between people and cars - cars must serve people and can continuously expand people's lifestyles, use scenarios and boundaries. Reflected in the work of automobile design, designers should re-establish a set of efficient and high-energy design system.
Zhang Fan also saw this change, at the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show, GAC Group launched two concept cars in the world, one of which is a pioneer coupe that represents GAC's exploration of the boundaries and presentation of "human-machine symbiosis aesthetics". The so-called "human-machine symbiosis aesthetics" also has a subtle connection with Cantonese culture. Perhaps it is the habit of Guangzhou people to greet the Spring Festival with flowers that inspired Zhang Fan, or perhaps the scene of Guangzhou people riding in the Bidao gave him inspiration, in Zhang Fan's view, Lingnan culture has a "symbiotic aesthetics", the harmony between people and nature, people and tools, contains the unique understanding of the aesthetics of life in Guangzhou. Applied to car design, it is the relationship between people and intelligence. Therefore, on the GAC Eian model, Zhang Fan's team has also been practicing the concept of "human-machine symbiosis aesthetics" based on Lingnan culture.
Guangzhou has the soil of tolerance that designers dream of
Time has precipitated and endured, and Zhang Fan is more and more able to "read" Cantonese culture. Regardless of whether you are tall, fat, thin, or have a high income, you can find your own positioning in Guangzhou. Car designers need to be close to life and draw inspiration from life, and Guangzhou is providing such an environment. "Guangzhou's 'inclusion' is the most coveted soil for car designers, allowing car designers to have the confidence to create and express." Zhang Fan said.
In Zhang Fan's view, the growth of car designers and the cultivation of design concepts are inseparable from the place where they are located. GAC's model design has obvious "Lingnan elements", "Guangzhou taste" and "Chinese characteristics". At the same time, Zhang Fan is also trying to integrate and innovate the trend and technology, so that the car and life needs can evolve together, and empower users to break the scene of life. Through a series of new cars, the vibrant, modern and trendy labels of Guangzhou's automobile industry are outlined more and more three-dimensionally clear.
From a lifelong mercedes-Benz designer to the director of the Concept and Styling Design Center of the GAC Research Institute, the key to this identity transformation is culture. Culture is the seed of car design, and the seed, combined with the designer's clever pen, will produce a chemical reaction. In Guangzhou, with the support of traditional culture, the influence of trends, and the surrounding of "inclusive" atmosphere, Zhang Fan wants to have this seed, so he returns to China and takes root in Guangzhou.
Zhang Fan said frankly that as an automotive designer, listening to and meeting the needs of users and bringing new experiences and new value to users is a process of constantly overcoming difficulties. To this end, Zhang Fan has created a set of evaluation systems for automobile design, which is not only strictly scientific, but also full of beauty. Zhang Fan attributed this evaluation system to the "five senses": "The first place in the "five senses" is of course the shape, and it is necessary to strive for excellence in terms of lines, surfaces, colors and so on. In addition to styling, good car design also needs to perform well in the four dimensions of sound, light, electricity and time. Among them, the evaluation standard of "time" is Zhang Fan's "proud and original". "We hope that a design should be more about a point in time, but also about a timeline concept," Zhang Fan explains, "In short, the visual impact of a good car design cannot be just a moment, but should last for a period of time." ”
Zhang Fan believes that car designers are also transforming, and car designers should be on the same frequency with science and technology, resonate with the trend, observe users, feel changes, and draw nutrients from the outside world. Guangzhou is precisely the city that can provide a stage for car designers, Zhang Fan told reporters firmly, in the future he will be deeply cultivated in Guangzhou, with Lingnan culture as the line, with trend technology as the color, outlining the image of future cars.
The harmony between man and nature contains the unique understanding of the aesthetics of life in Guangzhou. (File photo) Photo by Su Yunhua, reporter of Guangzhou Daily and New Flower City
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Challenge: Past stylist Future experience designer
Guangzhou Daily: You have been in Shanghai, Beijing, Stuttgart, what do you think is the biggest charm of Guangzhou?
Zhang Fan: Those cities in the world that are remembered have their own unique urban temperament. I believe that Guangzhou's unique temperament lies in persistence, perseverance and resilience. From individuals to enterprises, no matter what difficulties and challenges they encounter, they are not easy to defeat, persistent, have a sense of mission, and must achieve a higher level of the cause at hand.
Guangzhou Daily: Connecting tradition and modernity, taking into account inheritance and innovation, what do you think is the biggest challenge in automotive design?
Zhang Fan: Excellent design should take into account both practicality and aesthetics. On the road to actively embracing innovation, "either-or" has never been the main tone. Traditional fuel vehicles still have great potential in the future, and can be equipped with advanced technologies such as intelligence and networking and the latest use experience. Moreover, after a hundred years of development of fuel vehicles, the charm of the automobile industry it carries is also constantly iterating. On GAC Trumpchi, we systematically put forward the design concept and design proposition of "science and technology industry aesthetics", and the model has a sense of technology and tension, which will be applied to Trumpchi's next new car.
In terms of pure electric vehicle platforms, we have found through research that the target users have different requirements from conventional in terms of intelligence and advancedness. Therefore, we put forward the "human-machine symbiosis aesthetics" - how to make people and cars have a more harmonious relationship, which will be the "human-machine symbiosis aesthetics" adhere to and pursue.
Guangzhou Daily: From individuals to enterprises, and then zooming in to the entire city, how should we deal with the great wave of intelligence?
Zhang Fan: We are now in an era of great change, whether it is the automobile industry or all aspects of life, we are welcoming the arrival of intelligence. Cars are becoming more intelligent, and intelligence will bring new use cases and give more value to the industry. In terms of intelligence, GAC has also set a very challenging goal, that is, to reach the world's leading level in the field of intelligence. In my opinion, intelligence is not only a technology, a software, an algorithm, it is also an experience, how to combine this experience with users, and integrate with the Internet ecology, there are too many innovations and challenges that need to be completed by designers.
Facing the future requires designers to challenge their identity, in the past they were just a stylist, and the future will be an experience designer.
Interview Notes
With Lingnan culture as the cornerstone, outline the image of future cars
Whether it is a traditional fuel vehicle or a pure electric vehicle, you can buy a model that meets your own needs at GAC - this is what Zhang Fan is most proud of. Water for wealth, every year, the eye of the southern lion, the outer rigidity and inner softness, the aesthetics of science and technology industry, the aesthetics of man-machine symbiosis... Zhang Fan distilled the life experience and life wisdom of the lingnan people, and reflected it in the shape design, cockpit space, and functional experience.
Facing the future, Zhang Fan is also trying to try the integration and innovation of trend and technology, so that cars and life needs can evolve together, empower users to break the scene of life, and make the label of Guangzhou's automobile industry vitality, modernity and trendy more three-dimensional and clear.
In terms of Lingnan culture, it is not an easy task to nurture the world's leading car design. Not only to be on the same frequency with technology and resonate with the trend; but also to observe users at all times, feel the changes, and constantly draw nutrients from the outside world. Guangzhou's automotive industry has always been moving forward in the challenge, perseverance, tenacity, and not giving up lightly. It is foreseeable that Zhang Fan will continue to work deeply in Guangzhou, with Lingnan culture as the cornerstone, supplemented by science and technology, industry, art and intelligence, to outline the image of future cars.
Text/Guangzhou Daily, New Flower City Reporter: Zhou Weili, Zhong Dawen
Photo/ Guangzhou Daily, Xinhuacheng Reporter: Wang Yan (except for the signature)
Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Li Fenghe