The three contemporary Chinese architects, namely Yung Ho Chang, Liu Jiakun, and Wang Shu, have often been labeled as the ＇avant-garde＇ or xianfeng architects in China. In response to the xionfeng architect labet, W...The three contemporary Chinese architects, namely Yung Ho Chang, Liu Jiakun, and Wang Shu, have often been labeled as the ＇avant-garde＇ or xianfeng architects in China. In response to the xionfeng architect labet, 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 theoreticat anatysis 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 youleng is arguably a better phrase to describe these three Chinese architects considering the heterogeneous trajectory of modernity in China.展开更多
文摘The three contemporary Chinese architects, namely Yung Ho Chang, Liu Jiakun, and Wang Shu, have often been labeled as the ＇avant-garde＇ or xianfeng architects in China. In response to the xionfeng architect labet, 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 theoreticat anatysis 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 youleng is arguably a better phrase to describe these three Chinese architects considering the heterogeneous trajectory of modernity in China.
