Continuity and Creative Development in the Practice of Inheriting China’s Architectural Culture
Natalia Bagrova, Liang Yupeng
The issue of continuity and creative development has arisen repeatedly throughout the more than fi ve-thousand-year history of Chinese culture. Today, amid accelerating modernization and the homogenizing influence of globalization, China’s distinctive and profound culture is entering into active cross-cultural dialogue. In this process, foreign architects interpret and adapt the principles of Chinese vernacular architecture, while Chinese masters, in turn, reinterpret borrowed forms.
The aim of this article is to identify and analyze the specific mechanisms and strategies of contemporary inheritance practices through which traditional architectural elements are integrated with modern creative concepts, including an analysis of examples of cross-cultural communication. The object of the study is iconic architectural works in China created during the modern period of the 20th and 21st centuries. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive approach, including historical-genetic analysis, formal-stylistic analysis, and a comparative study of examples of the interaction between tradition and innovation.
The scientific novelty of the work lies in systematizing inheritance strategies, identifying patterns in the incorporation of sacred meanings and structural elements of traditional architecture into the current language of modern formbuilding, as well as in analyzing the bidirectional nature of cultural exchange. The study demonstrates that true continuity in architecture is achieved not through stylization or museum-like preservation, but through a deep reinterpretation of structural principles, spatial archetypes, and cultural symbolism – allowing tradition to gain new life in a global context without losing its unique identity.
The issue of continuity and creative development has arisen repeatedly throughout the more than fi ve-thousand-year history of Chinese culture. Today, amid accelerating modernization and the homogenizing influence of globalization, China’s distinctive and profound culture is entering into active cross-cultural dialogue. In this process, foreign architects interpret and adapt the principles of Chinese vernacular architecture, while Chinese masters, in turn, reinterpret borrowed forms.
The aim of this article is to identify and analyze the specific mechanisms and strategies of contemporary inheritance practices through which traditional architectural elements are integrated with modern creative concepts, including an analysis of examples of cross-cultural communication. The object of the study is iconic architectural works in China created during the modern period of the 20th and 21st centuries. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive approach, including historical-genetic analysis, formal-stylistic analysis, and a comparative study of examples of the interaction between tradition and innovation.
The scientific novelty of the work lies in systematizing inheritance strategies, identifying patterns in the incorporation of sacred meanings and structural elements of traditional architecture into the current language of modern formbuilding, as well as in analyzing the bidirectional nature of cultural exchange. The study demonstrates that true continuity in architecture is achieved not through stylization or museum-like preservation, but through a deep reinterpretation of structural principles, spatial archetypes, and cultural symbolism – allowing tradition to gain new life in a global context without losing its unique identity.