Blueprints: The First Generation of Chinese Architects from the University of Pennsylvania

Co-organized by Weitzman in partnership with the Management Committee of Li Zhuang Historical Town, Yi Bin, Southeast University School of Architecture, this exhibition surveys the achievements of more than 20 Chinese architecture students trained at Penn from 1918 to 1935.

A version of the exhibition was presented at Penn in 2022 as Building in China: A Century of Dialogues on Modern Architecture, curated by Zhongjie Lin, Benjamin Z. Lin Associate Professor of City & Regional Planning at Weitzman; Dr. Ming Tong, professor, Southeast University School of Architecture; and Dr. Xiangning Li, professor and dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University.

From Ming Tong:

The early 20th century in China saw a virtually unprecedented boom in modern urban development and architectural enterprise, which led to the establishment and advancement of architecture education and architectonics in modern China. During this period, the first generation of modern architects emerged and made outstanding contributions to the modernization of Chinese architecture. The most prominent of them—such as Fan Wenzhao, Yang Tingbao, Liang Sicheng, Tung Jun, and Chen Zhi—were Penn graduates. After graduation, with their activities in a wide range of fields including architectural design, research, and education as well as urban planning, they took a crucial part in the modern Chinese architecture movement while promoting the establishment and development of the architectural discipline and practice in modern China. 

The exhibition also displays their successful careers. Many of them emerged as leading architects and pioneers of modern Chinese architecture, playing pivotal roles in the building of the nation. They vigorously explored architectural theories and practice, and championed both inherent Chinese forms and the International Style, chipped away at foreign architects’ monopoly on the architecture industry in China. They founded the first academic societies and initiated the first academic publications for Chinese architects, and worked together with their colleagues to establish China’s own architecture education, which built a foundation for a sustainable development by cultivating the second and the third generations of architects. They set out on a path of development that combines international perspectives and Chinese characteristics in aspects of design and practice, history and theory, heritage preservation and academic exchanges, constituting an integral part of China’s modern technology and culture development.