On March 20, the "Ma Guoxin: My Architectural Life - Chinese Cultural Books of Architectural Design" exhibition opened at Tianjin University.
Professor Ma Guoxin is an outstanding representative of the third generation of Chinese architects. In 1994, he was awarded the title of "National Master of Engineering Survey and Design". In 1997, he was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and in 2022, he was awarded the title of "Senior Academician". He has been responsible for and led design projects such as the Beijing International Club, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the National Olympic Sports Center, Terminal 2 and the parking building of Beijing Capital International Airport, and the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War Memorial Sculpture Park. He is currently the chief consulting architect of Beijing Construction Engineering and the president of the 20th Century Architectural Heritage Committee of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics.
Since the publication of his first book, "Kenzo Tange", in 1989, Professor Ma Guoxin has compiled and published 36 books over the past 35 years. The current exhibition is the first in China's architectural community to showcase the works of a design master. The exhibition not only features the "people and events" of Beijing Construction Engineering, which has grown with the new China, but also the "thoughts and insights" that express the industry's sentiments. With Professor Ma's diverse books, the exhibition constructs a "map" of architectural culture, serving as valuable teaching material and historical data for the industry.
Visitors can follow two main lines in the exhibition. One is the "Nanlishi Road Memories: My Architectural Life" series featuring Professor Ma Guoxin's works, including seven aspects of his architectural creations: initial design experience, documentation of Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, research at Tange Associates, Asian Games construction and two Olympic biddings, planning and design of Terminal 2 of Beijing Capital International Airport, planning of Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War Memorial Sculpture Park, and Professor Ma's design thoughts. The other is Professor Ma's 35 authored and co-authored books, divided into eight sections: Retrospective on Forty Years of Japanese Architecture, Essays, Photography Collections, Biography Collections, Monographs, Architectural Arts, "Four-Part" Anthology of Poems, and Co-authored Bibliography.
After the opening ceremony and exhibition viewing, more than 30 experts and scholars also exchanged their experiences at the "Ma Guoxin: My Architectural Life - Chinese Cultural Books of Architectural Design" academic seminar. On the same day, Professor Ma also gave a lecture at the Beiyang Grand Lecture Hall, sharing his insights with the students and faculty of Tianjin University.
The exhibition was guided by Tianjin University, the Architectural Society of China, the 20th Century Architectural Heritage Committee of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, the Engineering, Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering Department of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and was hosted by the Publicity Department of Tianjin University, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd., the 20th Century Architectural Heritage Committee of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, Tianjin University Press Co., Ltd., and Tianjin University Library.
