Page 96 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Modern Chinese architecture adaptations

After the Opium Wars in the 19 century, China was in Tianjin in 1907. This company was particularly active
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abruptly forced to open itself to external powers and within the French Concession in Shanghai and expanded
influences, marking a shift from national isolationism. into other cities and treaty ports in China, including
This historical context not only permeated foreign Hankou and Hong Kong.
architects into Chinese architecture but also stimulated The rationale behind this article is to study selected
domestic architects to reflect on their architectural examples of the architectural practices mentioned above,
ideas and practices. During the same period, Western as well as other architects active in the early 20 century,
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modernist architecture emerged, featuring new forms, particularly during the early 20 century. It will also
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materials, and technologies. In contrast to China’s external
permeation in modernism, Western modernism was explore how these architects adapted and transformed
largely an endogenous movement, responding to social, modern Chinese architecture and how the “modern” was
political, and philosophical shifts of the time. Beginning embraced in Chinese architectural design.
in Europe, architects sought a theoretical and practical 2. Data and methods
break from the past. One of the core spirits of European
modernism, derived from Walter Gropius (1883 – 1969) A major part of this research relies on archival materials.
and his Bauhaus school, emphasized rational, functional, A specific Belgian-French architectural company, Crédit
and radically simplified forms. This concept of modernism Foncier d’Extrême-Orient, is the primary focus of this
gradually spread from Paris, London, and Berlin in Europe study. The company’s archives, stored in the State Archives
to New York and Chicago in the United States of America. of Belgium in Brussels, contribute to a significant portion
It was a significant period in the evolution of modern of the primary materials of this article. These primary
architecture, which embodied “an architecture conscious resources include photos, company reports, architectural
of its own modernity and striving for change” (Colquhoun, drawings, and newspaper clippings. Additional materials
2002, p. 9). were also retrieved from site visits conducted by Lau, the
In other words, the development of Chinese architecture first author of this study, in Brussels and Hangzhou.
transitioned into a stage of modern exploration against The research aims to link architecture with broader
the context of external influences and pressures, as well as social and urban issues by analyzing the work of selected
internal sociohistoric upheaval and revolution. This article early 20 -century Western and Chinese architectural
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traces how such modern exploration was specifically practices and examining how these practices adapted to
reflected and transformed. The first Western construction and targeted specific segments of society. Much of the
firm in China was established in Shanghai around 1853, as research is based on historical archival sources, both local
a brick, tile, and wood factory set up by British merchants and international, as well as fieldwork in existing historic
(Wu, 1997).The 1843 – 1894 Foreign-Funded Industries in sites. The modernist architectural approach observed in

Shanghai list includes 86 foreign industries, seven of which these locations contextualizes early 20 -century Chinese
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were related to construction.These construction industries architecture within broader modern developments outside

included timber, glass, and furniture manufacturing. It was China.
only in the 1860s that the architectural and construction
practice began to flourish in Shanghai. Most practitioners Regarding data analysis, this study is primarily
at the time were from Britain and were civil engineers qualitative and contextual. The main analytical method
who also produced architectural designs. William Kidner used is a comparative approach – one of the most traditional

(1841 – 1900) was the only registered architect in the and established methods in architectural history, as noted
Royal Institute of British Architects who was practicing in by Fletcher (1975), and particularly relevant for research
Shanghai during the 1860s and supervised the construction in Southeast Asia (Andersen, 1991). This study compares
of Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1866, which was designed by architectural development not only between Hong Kong
Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811 – 1878). and other cities in China but also between Hong Kong and
the cities in the West (Figure 1).
Around the turn of the 20 century, foreign
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settlements in Shanghai obtained more land than Ultimately, this research reveals the challenges faced by
they had in previous years. The expansion of the these architects in adapting to local conditions and tailoring
International Settlement in Shanghai greatly benefited their designs to different social and urban contexts. This
urban development and the real estate market. During sociocultural architectural history incorporates previously
this period, new real estate companies entered the field, overlooked or under-researched materials on modern
including Crédit Foncier d’Extrême-Orient, which was architecture in Hong Kong and other cities in China.
founded by Belgian and French investors and architects Furthermore, it aims to provide a clearer narrative for the

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3710