Frontiers of Architectural Research >

2015 , Vol. 4 >Issue 2: 146 - 158

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2015.03.005

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.
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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.

Key words： Contemporary Chinese architecture; Architectural avantgarde; Experimentation; Social response; Self-consciousness; Design strategies

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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