Page 101 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Modern Chinese architecture adaptations

sciences but also understand fine arts” (Liu, 1929,
p. 87). 4
Although it is uncertain as to what impact Liu Jipiao
and his writings (Liu, 1927; Liu, 1928) had on other
Chinese architects and cities, what we do know is that he
was already practicing in both Shanghai and Hong Kong
by 1929, as indicated by an advertisement for his
architectural offices located in Hangzhou, Shanghai, and
Hong Kong, printed in a journal Liangyou (良友; The
Young Companion). Liu’s works ultimately highlight the
efforts of a Chinese architect not only to move beyond
mere stylistic applications in architecture but also to seek
meaningful integration of Chinese and Western traditions
Figure 6. One of the entrances to the original 1929 Hangzhou West Lake (Xu, 2010). Fortunately, the West Lake Expo Museum, still
Exposition, reconstructed within the current West Lake Expo Museum. standing today in Hangzhou, serves as a testament to the
Source: Photo by Lau (2024)
city and China’s avant-garde movement in the 1920s
(Figures 6 and 7).
5. Conclusion

In the past, there have been notable studies on architectural
modernism in occupied regions, including analyses of
politics in French colonial urbanism (Wright, 1991) and
examinations of the relationship between culture and
power in British-designed architecture in India (Metcalf,
1989). Other scholars have focused on the relationship
between modernism and the new characters of nations
and nationalities (Crinson, 2003). However, there is still no
unified understanding of how modernism was perceived,
interpreted, and developed in China. This research,
therefore, probes some of the under-researched areas in
the field of Chinese modern architecture. Architects in
early 20 -century China were not only experimenting with
th
modern methods and materials but were also searching for
deeper meanings in their pursuit of a “modern” architectural
identity, both domestically and internationally.

The first part of this article delineated several Western
architects who sought to adapt architecture to local
Figure 7. External entrance of the original exhibition hall of the Hangzhou needs and characteristics, particularly in the works of the
West Lake Exposition from 1929, showcasing Art Deco features on the
bas-reliefs and decorative moldings. Source: Photo by Lau (2024) Crédit Foncier d’Extrême-Orient. This exploration was
followed by an examination of several first-generation
Chinese architects in the early 20 century, such as Dong
th
fully express his aspirations for “architecture as fine art.”
The architecture of the West Lake Exhibition is Dayou and Liu Jipiao, who were, in Dong Dayou’s words,
characterized by streamlined forms and the use of relief or in search of a “new style of architecture” (Dong, 1936,
stepped-back techniques with abstract Chinese decorations p. 361). This quest was shared by the architects of the
(Figure 5). In his article, Xihu Bolanhui Yu Meishu Jianzhu Crédit Foncier d’Extrême-Orient, as discussed earlier.
(西湖博览会与美术建筑; West Lake Exhibition and Gabriel Van Wylick’s designs, for instance, evolved from
Architecture as Fine Arts), Liu wrote: Chinese-inspired bay windows in the early years around
I intend for the nation to learn about “architecture as 4 Original text by Liu Jipiao (1929): “我希望這次西湖
fine arts” at the West Lake Exposition. Architecture 博覽會可以給國人瞭解美術建築的機會。美術建
as fine arts is a combination of science and arts; one 築是科學與藝術結合的產兒，不僅要懂工程學和
not only needs to understand engineering and other 各種純粹科學，而且要懂得藝術。”

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3710