Curriculum development has long been regarded as a central pillar in the architecture of educational effectiveness; however, this theme has been largely overlooked in the unique context of foundation years in higher education, with research on transnational programmes in China focusing on the point of view of the foreign institutions. In this article, the authors aim to propose a conceptual framework to guide curriculum development based on four principles--integration, inspirational teaching, inclusiveness, and innovation--named the 4 Is. The framework addresses the theme of curriculum development in foundation years within transnational education in China adopting the point of view of the educators working in China. By introducing a case study of an introductory management module, the article will discuss how the framework can be applied in practice, and data gathered from 2019 to 2022 will show students' reactions toward module developments informed by the framework. The 4 Is are the result of a continuous interplay between the authors' teaching practice, reflection, and engagement with students and wider academic literature.