LIFE / CULTURE
Book Express
Published: Apr 27, 2022 06:54 PM
Constant innovation in Chinese architecture

Chinese architects kept innovating and formed a sound system of architectural theories. 

China's modern architectural art included not only vigor from "modern China," but also other fields and traditions it could accept. Such "inclusion" was not complete imitation, complete Westernization or complete return to the ancients. Architects began to pay attention to architectural phenomena, forms, styles and their relationships with architectural thought and carried out in-depth research. As a result, a lot of excellent works emphasizing traditions, the sense of the times as well as inspiration from other fields were created in the 1980s.

For example, the China International Exhibition Center Hall 2-5 transplanted foreign architectural language, while the Beijing Wangfu Hotel and the Dunhuang Airport explored a combination of China's traditional culture and modern spirit. The Wuyi Mountain Villa, the Beijing Kunlun Hotel and the Shenzhen International Trade Center also revealed Chinese architects' various orientations in architectural creation during the initial period of reform and opening-up. 

The essence of architectural design is a close combination of function, technology and art. The influence of foreign architectural schools on Chinese architecture put an end to the isolation of Chinese traditional aesthetics, enriched China's architectural theories, and meanwhile pushed forward the development of China's architectural techniques, concepts and materials.

In the late 1950s and the early 1960s, under the influence of the internal modern architectural movement, the exploration of new structures and the upsurge of new technology, many modern works based on technological innovation emerged in the country, bringing about China's innovation in architectural technology and technological revolution.