The world's top design-and-architecture publication, Domus, is to be distributed in China with a new Chinese edition, according to Italian News Agency on Sunday.

The Chinese version of the ground-breaking Milan-based monthly is called Domus-China. News and features about the international design-and-architecture scene will be produced in Milan and translated into Chinese, while articles focusing specifically on Asia will be handled by a team in Beijing.

Domus' arrival in China is confirmation of the magazine's historic and current mission which is a beacon for creativity around the world, said Domus's editor Stefano Boeri.

The new monthly replaces a twice-yearly edition of Domus, which was published in Chinese with the highlights of the six previous issues of the international edition.

The magazine was founded in 1928 by Gio Ponti, who is considered the "father" of modern Italian design. It provided a showcase for upcoming architects, artists and designers.

Ponti discovered many talents and used his publication to set them on the path to international fame and fortune.

These include Carlo Mollino, one of Italy's top post-war designers, and British architect Richard Rogers, the creator of, among other things, the Millennium Dome and the Pompidou Center.

Many experts claimed that the magazine was a major influence on Italian visual culture, and on architecture and design worldwide, and was the most important journal of its kind.

Domus is read in 104 countries around the world.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2006)