Practicing Reform: Experiments in Post-Revolutionary Chinese Architectural Production, 1973-1989

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between architectural praxis and political economic reform in China between 1973 and 1989. It looks specifically at how modifications in the practice of architectural design corresponded to the project of China’s economic liberalization. A closer examination of significant shifts in the methods of design, the operative mechanisms through which designs were created and implemented, and the degree of international engagement involved in design production offers new insight into the intertwined dynamics of architectural practice as both catalyst and index in processes of change.