Modernism in China: Architectural Visions and Revolutions by Edward Denison & Guang Yu Ren

Published by Wiley, June 2008

Modernism in China is a unique look at China's transformation in the early Twentieth Century and its expression through a revolution in architecture and design.

With nearly five millennia of architectural heritage, China boasts the longest continuous architectural development in human history. A hundred years after the dawn of the 20th century and the urban landscape of the world’s most populous country, along with some of the world’s oldest architectural methods, had been transformed completely. Linking unrivalled ancient tradition with the giddy rhetoric exuded by the high-rise, glass-clad, lust-for-wealth that characterises China’s 21st century architectural aspirations, is a period of modernisation that revolutionised its architectural language and urban fabric.

A central character in this process of modernisation is Modernism itself – the broad but pervasive design movement that, from its origins in Europe, swiftly enveloped the globe, as diverse countries, disparate cultures and idealistic individuals sought solutions to uniquely 20th century problems from its utopian principles. Urbanisation, industrialisation, globalisation, conflict, and social inequality, the hallmarks of rapid change in the 20th century, were as marked in China as they were throughout the world.

Hardback; £45.00/60.80 EUR; ISBN: 978-0-470-31928-4

About the authors:
Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren are authors and consultants in the field of the built environment, specializing in cultural heritage and development. Their co-authored publications include Asmara – Africa’s Secret Modernist City (Merrell 2003 & 2007) and Building Shanghai – the Story of China’s Gateway (Wiley Academy, 2006 & 2007). These works form the basis of two travelling exhibitions that continue to disseminate these unique subjects to audiences as far apart as Europe, the Middle East, Africa and America.

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