Description:

China has become one of the most fast-developing countries over the past century. However, the country has experienced significant challenges in finding the best ways to build for its future. Metropolises like Shanghai are coming to being constructed to compete with New York. We are losing our identity, and our modern cities no longer represent our culture.

Modernism, which emphasizes function and a streamlined form over ornamentation, is one of the most common terms currently being discussed in architecture. After the Second World War, China built thousands of modern cities with incredible speed based on this effective and efficient architectural philosophy. However, modernism has turned most Chinese cities into poor imitations of those in America, lacking Chinese culture and identity.

To avoid continuing to build more soulless buildings in China, there is an urgent call to awaken its architecture. Ancient Chinese cities were built mainly based on a philosophy of harmony and nature.

The country is also facing another challenge: the loss of the intangible cultural heritage formed over the past centuries, which is non-material and difficult to inherit. Most heritage-rescuing activities happen in small cities or in the countryside where the cultural heritage has its roots, and they meet with great difficulties due to insufficient resources and unprofessional services. Fuding is the small city in Fujian province where I was born, and it is famous for being the home of white tea. This city is experiencing similar problems as other Chinese cities. An important part of my research focuses on literature surrounding the movement to rescue intangible cultural heritage in China and the endeavours that modern Chinese architecture has been struggling with to find its identity.

In 2011, the World EXPO was held in Shanghai. The theme was “Better city, better life.” In which every country showcased its city identity. Along the River during the Qingming Festival, painted by Zhang Zeduan one thousand years ago, was the primary exhibition in the pavilion. The drawing is created based on Zhang’s imagination, but it represents a traditional Chinese city better than any real scene. Later, many famous painters studied Zhang’s drawing to create Along the River based on the impression of different cities. This phenomenon has inspired me to create Along the River of my city. The mission of this project is to carry out an architectural-urban intervention by reimagining traditional Fujian architecture and making the current scene into a dreamlike cultural place.

The predominant design method undertaken to capture it was drawing – carefully reimagining traditional Fujian architecture, including the covered bridge and traditional Fujian dwelling, tulou. Through exploration of the colour palette, composition and variance of form and mass, the design idea began to respond respectfully to both traditional regionalist culture and the modern city.

The result is a future vision, achieved by providing an urban architectural intervention and subsequent precedent to inspire Chinese cities and other cities around the world in the hope of rebuilding a cultural image that we are proud of.