China Airlines has its soon-to-be-delivered Boeing 777-300ER here on the Paris Air Show static display, thus giving those visitors who see the cabin a flavor of Taiwanese culture. Designer Ray Chen has created an interior where passengers will “feel, see, smell, hear, taste and eventually love Taiwan,” the carrier's chairman, Sun Huang-hsiang, said. The widebody aircraft is to be handed over this month, joining the other five 777-300ERs that China Airlines operates.

Chen said he was inspired by “the sophisticated minimalism” of the Song dynasty in the Middle Age. “They would show their richness in a humble way,” he said. Four design drivers–culture, commitment, nature and technology–have been translated into one color each. In economy class, a few red seats have a pattern Chen characterized as a reminiscence of a Chinese red seal, often found in calligraphy.

In business class, wood wall coverings create a warmer ambiance. “Reading lamps are there to remind you of something very intellectual, like in a bookstore,” Chen went on. The entrance area has been laid out to look like a hotel lobby and a lounge, as opposed to a kitchen.

China Airlines’ in-service 777-3000ERs are flying to Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Frankfurt is next in line, and is scheduled to be served from November 1.

Asked about premium economy, Sun said he is hoping to increase the load factor from 65 to 80 percent. In economy, China Airlines is the second carrier to offer a “family couch,” a row of three seats that can convert into a bed–a product targeted at one parent with a child.