Books: Modernism in China

There are two schools of thought about the great cultural push currently underway in the Far East. The first is to adopt a rigid standoffish attitude while clamouring for increased rights and democracy. The second approach is rather more pragmatic - and financially rewarding.

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Active engagement has turned the historic low-rise cities of Shanghai and Beijing into architectural playgrounds as big-name Western firms pile into an icon-friendly environment. In a sense, China has always been open to design innovation; Shanghai was once the Deco capital of the world, while the temples and palaces of Imperial China remain unrivalled in terms of scale and architectural ambition.

Denison and Yu Ren explore the early days of Chinese modernism, generally rather overlooked by both the conventional histories and by the country itself, as it races towards economic supremacy.

10 October 2008 | Architecture