Guest editor: Xu Jinglei

To coincide with the launch of our current guest editors issue (W*115) - featuring curated sections by creative stars Zaha Hadid, Rei Kawakubo and Louise Bourgeois - we're handing over the reins here at wallpaper.com (well, partially anyway) to a star of a slightly different ilk.
It's no surprise that amidst its unprecedented economic and social reawakening, China is fast becoming one of the planet's most dynamic creative powerhouses. What better way to experience that first-hand - and get suitably inspired - than to partner with one of that country's biggest names, the actress-writer-director Xu Jinglei.
With over a dozen films under her belt and a slew of accolades for everything from acting and directing (Spanish Film Festival award for 'Letter From an Unknown Woman') to fashion (MTV Style) and writing (Best Selling Author nod by the China Critic Press), she's already one of China's hottest young stars, ranked recently by Forbes as the 12th most powerful celebrity in the country.
Over the next four weeks she'll be selecting some of China's most fascinating creatives - from the lead singer of one of the country's biggest bands, to a young photographer capturing the zeitgeist of a new and empowered generation - profiling one a week with interviews, articles and galleries.
Needless to say we're expecting a feast. As publisher of the hugely successful culture e-mag Kaila, and author of one of the world's highest-read blogs, which to date has received over 100 million hits, her finger is squarely on Beijing's creative pulse - a worthy addition this month to the wallpaper.com family.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Meet Malak Mattar, the Palestinian artist behind the 'Together for Palestine' concert at London's Wembley Arena
The London-based artist curates a landmark concert of music and art in support of Gaza, alongside Brian Eno, James Blake, Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry and more
-
A new coffee table book proves that one designer’s trash is another’s treasure
The Rizzoli tome, launching today (16 September 2025), delves into the philosophy and process of Retrouvius, a design studio reclaiming salvaged materials in weird and wonderful ways
-
A carbon-emission-busting house, yeast-biomass building, and more ‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’
‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’ returns to Aalto University in Finland as part of the annual Helsinki design and architecture week, highlighting buildings, materials and solutions towards a better future