The Architect as Cultural Historian

Professor Qi Kang stands among China’s most influential architects, with over 100 built works that embody regional identity while addressing universal human themes. His career spans pivotal projects like the Nanjing Massacre Memorial and Fujian Museum, each reflecting his nine core principles of regional architectural philosophy. More than a designer, Qi approaches architecture as an interdisciplinary dialogue—synthesizing history, ecology, and social memory into physical form.

Foundations: Mentorship and Methodology

Trained during China’s transformative 20th century, Qi inherited the legacy of architectural pioneers like Yang Tingbao and Liang Sicheng. Their emphasis on cultural continuity amid modernization shaped his worldview. Qi’s methodology blends rigorous academic study with hands-on craftsmanship—a duality forged through childhood experiences. The son of a Nanjing Massacre survivor, he witnessed both Japanese wartime brutality and his father’s reconstruction efforts, embedding in him architecture’s dual role as witness and healer.

Principles in Practice: Nine Architectural Theses

### 1. Architecture as Regional DNA
Qi’s Dalian University of Technology library demonstrates how buildings must “listen” to their surroundings. By aligning with existing campus axes and incorporating communal spaces (inspired by Western libraries’ social functions), the design achieved harmony while innovating. His sloping glass facade—initially controversial—became a celebrated regional landmark.

### 2. The Tripartite Value System
Projects like the Henan Museum showcase Qi’s belief that buildings must balance:
– Utility (optimal gallery flows)
– Economy (using local stone masons)
– Cultural coding (elephant motifs referencing the province’s ancient “Yu” nickname)

### 3. Correcting Imbalance
When the Wutaishan Gymnasium’s beam errors threatened budgets, Qi transformed flaws into decorative elements—exemplifying his pragmatism. He warns against architectural fetishes, whether blind worship of skyscrapers or foreign styles.

### 4. Culture as the Highest Layer
The Suzhou Silk Museum’s perforated walls evoke mulberry leaves, while statues honor silk workers. Qi proves vernacular motifs (like Fujian’s horse-head gables) can be abstracted into contemporary forms without losing cultural specificity.

### 5. The Ecology of Meaning
At the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, every element tells a story:
– Three black poles with red rings symbolize bloodstained timelines
– 300,000 pebbles represent victims
– A bisected sculpture captures the horror of executions

### 6. Unifying Urban Visions
Qi identifies four competing city visions (leaders’, scholars’, citizens’, developers’) that must reconcile. His “Five Character” urban theory prioritizes:
– Axes (development corridors)
– Cores (activity hubs)
– Clusters (organic groupings)
– Frames (structural networks)
– Skins (3D facades)

### 7. Spatial Alchemy
The Huai’an Zhou Enlai Memorial demonstrates “scale choreography”—transitioning from monumental entrance (8m) to intimate doorways (4m), mirroring the premier’s public stature and private humility.

### 8. The Creative Trinity
Qi’s mantra—inherit, transform, innovate—shaped projects like the Huangshan Hotel, where Hui-style gables become modernist screens. He champions grassroots craftsmanship, recalling a rural carpenter whose reverse-tenon technique solved a structural challenge.

### 9. Holistic Construction
The Fuzhou Sea Conch Tower illustrates integrated development: preserving a historic Mazu temple while adding futuristic forms inspired by marine life. Qi insists architecture must “heal” sites, as when his Postal Building echoed Beijing’s Drum Tower across Nanjing’s skyline.

Legacy: Architecture as Collective Memory

Now in his 80s, Qi focuses on architectural education, publishing books like Urban Architecture and mentoring young designers. His works remain pedagogical tools—the Nanjing Memorial’s pebbles teach children history when they solemnly return stones after reading victim names.

For Qi, regionalism isn’t nostalgia but active cultural stewardship. Whether through Henan’s pyramid-topped museum or Huai’an’s coal-mining exhibition hall (where a sunken ship echoes archaeological finds), he proves locality and universality aren’t opposites but partners in architectural storytelling. In an era of homogenized skylines, Qi Kang’s nine principles offer a blueprint for buildings that root us in place while elevating our shared humanity.