ABSTRACT
The aim of the historical review in this chapter is not to present a full and detailed picture of modern architecture in China; nor is it focused on one consistent theme. The main objective is to clarify the unclear perception of the relationship in which the new wave of architecture in the post-Mao China stands to the past and by which it advances into contemporary forms. The historical review takes a close look at society and architecture in three periods (1840–1949, 1949–1976, and 1976 onwards) with a different focus and a special storyteller section of the new waves of architecture since the 1990s. It further elucidates the theme of this study, which revolves around the transition from Mao to market. It also explains why Liu Jiakun, Cui Kai and URBANUS are selected as case studies, since they are three different manifestations of intricate details of the societal transformation from a command economy to a market economy and offer various practical approaches of Chinese architects.
