Major exhibition spaces include a main hall dedicated to digital design and a V&A Gallery, "a physical manifestation of the collaboration" between China Merchants Shekou Holdings and the London museum, says V&A Gallery's head Luisa Elena Mengoni.

The V&A museum leads the development and design of the gallery. Also, it provides expertise in standard operating procedures for museum management, public programs and training.

Mengoni says the V&A Gallery will open with an exhibition called Values of Design. It'll display graphic designs, photos, fashion and digital designs from V&A's collection.

"It is about how value drives design and how design shapes the value of things."

Mengoni says the gallery is not a branch of the London venue, and future shows will be curated by the Design Society.

The Design Society will also have an outpost of the Guanfu Museum, a Beijing-based institution that will showcase Chinese antiquities.

All together, these shows will present the past, present and future of design.

But Bouman says the Design Society does not just want to be a showcase. It also wants to be a source of inspiration and seeks to provide a platform where people can create things.

He says the Design Society has a plan for artists' residency, makers' spaces and rooms for interactive cultural events.

He adds the society also hopes to reach out to the city.

So far, the Design Society has already reached out to locals.

It held a one-day event called Go! Design Community in November, comprising a street makers' market, talks and workshops as an example of what kind of programs it can offer.

"We would like to make it clear that we want to position design as a very broad field which is relevant to everybody, especially for Shenzheners," says Bouman.

"Hopefully it can be a place for Shenzheners to test their options - whether for an industry, a craft or a business."