RESEARCH ARTICLE

Xianfeng? Houfeng? Youfeng?—An analysis of selected contemporary Chinese architects, Yung Ho Chang, Liu Jiakun, and Wang Shu (1990s-2000s)

  • Hing-wah Chau
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  • Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia

Received date: 12 Oct 2014

Accepted date: 28 Mar 2015

Published date: 20 Jul 2015

Copyright

2014 This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

The three contemporary Chinese architects, namely Yung Ho Chang, Liu Jiakun, and Wang Shu, have often been labeled as the ‘avant-garde’ or xianfengarchitects in China. In response to the xianfeng architect label, Wang claims that he is a houfeng(rear-guard) architect because of his obsession with traditions. This paper aims to discuss the appropriateness of labeling these architects as ‘avant-garde,’ xianfeng, or houfeng. Through the theoretical analysis of western discourse, notable attributes of the western architectural avant-garde are identified, and a tentative framework is developed to test its validity and usefulness in a non-western context. The term youfeng is arguably a better phrase to describe these three Chinese architects considering the heterogeneous trajectory of modernity in China.

Cite this article

Hing-wah Chau . Xianfeng? Houfeng? Youfeng?—An analysis of selected contemporary Chinese architects, Yung Ho Chang, Liu Jiakun, and Wang Shu (1990s-2000s)[J]. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2015 , 4(2) : 146 -158 . DOI: 10.1016/j.foar.2015.03.005

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