‘Make‐the‐Most‐of‐It’ architecture

Abstract

Following contemporary Chinese literature, poetry and cinema, contemporary Chinese architecture has, since the 1990s, stepped onto an international stage. Going with the credits established globally, some Chinese architects’ works were influenced by the concept of ‘La Chinoiserie’. This paper investigates different attitudes towards the concept of ‘La Chinoiserie’ and strategies architects have been taking as responses to it. Works of Chinese architects including Yung Ho CHANG, WANG Shu, Ma Qingyun, LIU Jiakun and many others, are examined here. As a conclusion, this paper argues that instead of retreating to Chinese cultural tradition and finding nostalgic motifs for design, we might seek architectural positions responsive to massive change at the urban scale. A new value system in making judgments about contemporary Chinese architecture needs to be developed.