A honey stick designed by Chen's Dutch teacher Aldo Bakker that was inspired by ancient Chinese filigree. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Those early experiences had Chen setting his sights on becoming an industrial designer.

In 2001, he went to study for two years at the Koln International School of Design in Germany. He then successfully completed his Bachelor of Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where Chen discovered a conceptual design philosophy.

It surprised him that even a graphic designer like his roommate could take a motorcycle apart and put its 1,000 components on the floor, just to take a picture before putting them all back together. "I thought to myself 'how could a graphic designer do such things that were supposed to be the work of a mechanic?'"

The incident inspired him to treat each project individually.

"Only when I understand the process can I carry out innovation and design," he says.

The three-and-a-half years Chen spent in the Netherlands helped him to establish a solid academic foundation and, in 2008, he was accepted by the Domus Academy in Milan for his MA in design.

Chen later worked as a teaching assistant at the academy for a year.

In 2012, Chen returned to China and set up his own studio in Hangzhou, focusing on advanced industrial design. Life in Hangzhou, he says, is "quite flexible and has a slow rhythm". He considers flexibility a good attribute for a city.

The following year, he created his Hangzhou Stool that focused world's attention on China's modern design techniques. A simple compact piece of furniture made from bamboo, the stool takes advantage of the special quality of the material, offering flexibility for comfort, while expressing the relaxing and free atmosphere of the city.

The stool was an inspiration from his visit to a plant in Lin'an district, where he found almost all things that local workers used were made of bamboo, even their name cards and suitcases.