Inheritance and Fusion—Exploring the Essence and Form of Modern Chinese Architecture

Author: Luo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This is the Chinese translation of "Architectural Encounters with Essence and Form in Modern China," published by MIT Press in 2002. The two American Harvard scholars systematically analyze modern Chinese architecture, objectively presenting the development process of modern Chinese architecture. The explanations are clear and accessible. The book revolves around a series of discussions conducted in a design studio in Beijing, leading to an exploration of Chinese architectural concepts and practices since the opening of Chinese treaty ports in the 1840s. The focus of the discussion is "Ti" and "Yong," which are essence and form—two fundamental concepts that have profoundly influenced China's modernization process. Over this and a half-century, "Ti" and "Yong" have undergone numerous historical transformations, from "Chinese essence, Western utility" to "socialist content and national form" and finally to "modern essence and Chinese form." The book begins by addressing the progress of Chinese culture since the Qing Dynasty was forced to open to the West in the mid-19th century, including the reforms, republicanism, and the emergence of socialist ideologies in the Qing Dynasty. It then explores the following aspects: architects who studied abroad and returned, the influence of the West on Chinese architecture, the four architectural tendencies of tradition and modernity in the 1920s and 30s, and the controversies over "large roofs" and other architectural forms in the 1950s. Subsequently, the book discusses the near-abandonment of architecture during China's economic difficulties in the late 1950s and the Cultural Revolution, the revival of the construction industry in the 1970s and 80s following the reform and opening-up, and the modernization process of contemporary Chinese architecture under the influence of the socialist market economy. The book concludes with an outlook on the future of Chinese architecture. It serves as a reference for Chinese agricultural and rural construction industry professionals and can also be read as an engaging and informative book for a broad audience.