Of course, the word can mean different things to different people. There were long lines of shoppers outside H&M stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, waiting overnight to get their hands on the clothing and accessories produced for this humble chain store by such lofty design houses as Versace and Lanvin at less lofty prices.

Everywhere now, we can find "these overlaps, interfaces and collaborations between architects, engineers and designers", said John Howkins, the frequent international keynote speaker on creative industries, at a creative forum held by Forbes China in Shanghai.

Many emerging Chinese designers are also "crossing over" by combining the widely used Western style elements with Chinese symbols. This is not new, of course. A few designers began pioneering this style in the 1980's. Most prominent among them is Alan Chan, who has successfully established his own brand, which he describes on his studio's website as "an original Hong Kong label with an international appeal."

The influence of this style of design may seem limited in Hong Kong. But it has found a much bigger home in Shanghai, thanks to devotees like Wang Yang, founder of her own design brand YAANG. She said she wants to achieve a "harmonic mix of the reserved Chinese expressions with the Western-style, strong visual impact".

Since starting out in 2006, Wong's work has won the support of many clients, including Swarovski, Succi and the Italian handmade notebook brand Ciak. A growing number of emerging designers are following her path to create a fusion of East and West.

As Howkins predicts, Shanghai is moving into the "street fashion" style, as people in this city are learning from everywhere, to decorate their bars, restaurants and homes with furniture imported from every corner of the world, in parallel to the way in which artists usually create their works.

"Street fashion is about 'stealing' and borrowing," said Howkins, adding that a real artist should borrow and "steal" to make a perfect mix and match.

According to the statistics provided by Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, the cultural and creative industry in Shanghai contributed about 9.75 percent to the city's GDP in 2010. The industry has achieved a total output of 549.9 billion yuan in 2010, reaching a 14.2 percent year-on-year increase.

Ever since the first design studio was set up in 1998 by a Taiwan designer, about 15 creative parks had been established in Shanghai by the end of last year, with some 8,200 companies and studios set up in the parks. Jamy Yang of Yang Design consultancy, Xu Ming of Design MVW, Hou Zhengguang of Mooma Design are winning fame home and abroad and international awards as well, including the much sought-after Red Dot Design Award.

Apart from the random customers at the affluent shopping district at Xintiandi, international brands have come to frequent collaboration agreements with these emerging designers. Jamy Yang, for example, has worked with Siemens, Bosch and Audi. Hou Zhengguang has sought cooperation with Otis, Philips and Panasonic.

In the past year, Wang has worked with Succi, the Irvine-based innovative sanitary product supplier. The bathtub she designed for Succi helped her to win the iF Product Design Award in 2011, the most renowned and cherished award in the design industry.

"It is my first iF Award. As far as I can see now, most of the judgments and choices that I have made before are right," smiled Wang confidently.

The shell-shaped bathtub looks like a piece of delicate china that aims to give the greatest comfort and pleasure.

The thermos called Startled is one of the favorites of Hung Huang, the renowned publisher of the fashion magazine iLook and frequently referred to as "China's answer to Oprah Winfrey and Anna Wintour".

Few product designers to the time to innovate day to day products. Wang is keen enough that she explored the value of the thermos and added her favorite double happiness mascot to it. Hung, who has always kept an eye on the new trends in the creative industry, loved it and, one at a time, ordered five "Startled". "The thermos is almost the same as those I used when I was a child. But I have renovated it with new materials and more concise lines to make it more delicate," said Wang.

Wang's heartfelt attachment to the strong Chinese characters has been deeply rooted ever since childhood, as she recalled.

"I grew up with my grandmother in Shanghai. She was really particular about the quality of life. When I was around 10 years old, she would take me to the coffee shop, which was rare in Shanghai by then, and had some coffee and cream cake at tea time. Her fastidiousness has helped me to build a better taste for life, I suppose," said Wang.

Years of learning of traditional Chinese painting have also helped to build a stronger impression of the Chinese culture for Wang. Depictions of peonies, flowers, birds, fish and insects in the characteristic Chinese style made an indelible impression on her. It's something that become particularly evident in her later work in Germany.

"When I was living in Germany, I come to realize that I was so deeply immersed in the good old days of Shanghai and the culture. These impressions are deeply permeated in my mind," said Wang.

But Wang seems unprepared to lead the humdrum life.

"After I graduated from the Chinese Academy of Arts, I worked in Xiling Seal Society, an academic society of seal arts in Hangzhou. And then I went to Germany with my husband. Everything went on so smoothly that I could already predict what my retired life would be like on the first day I started my job," said Wang.

"I feel more upset and uneasy when I lead my life in a more comfortable way. Some unknown energy is accumulated in my body. I want to do what I excel at, but I couldn't start my own career if I stayed in Germany. Therefore, I came back in 2006," she said.

She also admits it is really hard to resist the influence of the culture for anyone who has lived in Germany for six years.

The good news is, Wang said, that some German designs might not appeal to Chinese customers.

"To peel asparagus, some German designers came up with a peeler, which peels only asparagus. This product may be welcomed by German consumers but for Chinese people it may seem uneconomical, since it only serves that one purpose. So keeping in mind the difference in lifestyles among different countries and regions is the key to success for designers," says Wang.

But Wang, who is energetic all the time, will never stop reaching into new fields. Her Yaang Cafe, is her next target to express her understanding of life on design concepts and lifestyle. Apart from herself-designed home products, she will also introduce the work of other fashion designers and books to go with then. Described as a "nice attack", the only thing she is not counting on for the operation of the cafe is profits.

"China is developing at such a fast pace that novel things are giving incentives all the time. Meanwhile, international brands are rushing into China. You feel that opportunities are everywhere. But you have to seize the right one, which requires good judgment," she said.