Book

This monograph on the lives and careers of a group of Chinese architects committed to so-called "Chinese Experimental Architecture" and their claim to autonomy is a historically framed, theoretically reflective and meticulously detailed piece of research. Drawing on an explicit and extensive literature review, that complicates the notion of modernity from a capitalist critique, to scrutinize Chinese modernity, and the cultural theory of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, Dr. Kang offers a compelling discussion of a specific moment in Chinese architectural history in the 1990s and 2000s, revolving around patrons, tastemakers and gatekeepers of the scene, and engaging other protagonists in terms of the mechanisms of cultural productions more broadly (salons, exhibitions, conferences, publications, etc.) and also building projects (bookstore, headquarter, museum cluster, exhibition hall, etc.). The book, which is the culmination of Kang's intellectual quest and his personal initiation as an academic, provides a fascinating narrative of the transformation in Chinese architecture, that goes beyond the aspects of architectural genius and stylistic achievement, especially focusing on the role of clients and philanthropists, after the country opened up to, indeed unleashed capitalism.