In our country, the story started about one century ago
The first generation of Chinese architects
Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, Yang Tingbao, Tong Jun
Fan Wenzhao, Zhao Shen, Chen Zhi
They went to the United States and majored in architecture in University of Pennsylvania
They came back to China after graduation
And they designed over 600 buildings
The buildings they designed Laid down the foundation of modern Chinese Architecture
My grandfather Tong Jun was one of the Chinese students in Penn
Actually I grew up among them
I knew Yang Tingbao and Chen Zhi when I was a boy
I decided to do the exhibition in 2015
I was visiting the archives of the architecture department of Penn
And browsing through the documents
There are more than 1,400 items on display
Including a variety of drawings, pictures and graphs
We collected them from all over the world
The homework drawings of the Chinese students
These drawings talk about where they had been and how they got to where they were
And we had interviews with their families
And with scholars and experts
And we put over 20 interviews on display Most of them were born around 1900
And they left for school when the Qing Dynasty was in its last days
Then the May 4th Movement arose
About 50 to 60 students annually
Were sent to the US for advanced studies
Between 1918 and 1937
They were funded by the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program
At Tsinghua College
There were 24, 25 Chinese students
Who were studying architecture in Penn
They were elites
They were the favored ones
They almost didn’t encounter any obstacle or shock in the US
They helped each other
And they soon assimilated into the community And they studied architecture under the best teacher Paul Cret
They were called “The Chinese squad”
Most noticeably, they excelled at every class
And other students got jealous
They even complained about
Damn Chinese robbing us of the highest grades
Yang Tingbao stood out even among these Chinese students
And he was the president of the Chinese student union
He earned 91 credits
He got many Ds (Distinguished)
And some Gs (Good)
And above all that, they were gifted in many ways
Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin went to Penn together
Lin Huiyin had not just a pretty face
Her sweet smile
Her smart style of conversation
Had all left a deep impression among Chinese students in the US And she worked for the annual publishing in Penn
Chen Zhi
He was the most active one
He was in the choir as a baritone
Tong Jun won the first prize in the US student design competition
That was an outstanding achievement
Most of them chose to go back to China
For them
Saving the country with industry was their goal
From later 1920s to early 1930s
These Chinese overseas student
Brought back from the US with them the Beaux-Arts tradition architectural style
And they practiced what they had learned
Zhu Bin and Yang Tingbao were partners at Kwan, Chu and Yang Architects
The Central Hospital in Nanjing was their work
And the Central Stadium
Was realized in Shanghai
And the Shanghai No.1 Department Store which is still a classic
Another important force was Allied Architects
The three partners Zhao Shen, Chen Zhi and Tong Jun
They designed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building in Nanjing
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the Ministry of Railways Building
And they designed the Metropol and the Chekiang Industrial Bank in Shanghai
And even today they are still representative modern style architectures
Another distinguished architect
Fan Wenzhao
Such as the Shanghai Concert Hall that is still frequently used
Majestic Theatre
Georgia Apts on Hengshan Road
Even judged by a modern eye
They are still typical of a style of modern architecture
That is undeniable
More importantly
They established China's own architecture education system
The Liangs founded the Architecture Department of Northeastern University
And Tsinghua University
Tong Jun, Yang Tingbao and Tan Yuan
Practiced their professorship in National Central University and later Nanjing University
And Zhao Shen, Chen Zhi, and Yang Tingbao
The most important two architecture design groups in Shanghai
Are heritage of them
Reviewing the history of the first generation of Chinese architects has profound meanings
The current architecture business can draw lessons from them
Architecture is not just about constructing a building
Or building something for commercial use
The real purpose of the exhibition
Is to tell the story of the entire past century
Through these special individuals