Modern Chinese Architecture: 180 Years

This is a virtual program — online only.

Modern Chinese Architecture: 180 Years tells the story of the transformation of Chinese architecture from a traditional timber-frame, single-story building system with ceramic tile roofs of anonymous craftsmen to supertall skyscrapers designed by internationally acclaimed architects. From temple markets to megamalls, and from open-air stages to auditoriums and stadiums, the architectural changes mirror China's extraordinary evolution from an imperial dynasty to a people’s republic and from a country with a largely rural and illiterate citizenry to at least 97% literacy, where 60 percent of the population is urban. 

In this live webinar, author Nancy S. Steinhardt will view the changes in Chinese architecture through five generations of architects: first, through foreigners who practiced in China; then in a first generation who studied modern architecture abroad; a third generation were the students who designed during the years of war with Japan, internal warfare, and the Cultural Revolution; in the 1980s, a next generation began to study abroad, who have been followed in this century by designers from every continent.