Wu Liangyong is a world-renowned architect and urban studies theorist. Another famous ethnic-Chinese architect once said:" No matter what countries you go, people would refer to Wu Liangyong when talking about Chinese architecture."

Wu Liangyong (file photo)

Wu Liangyong was chosen as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980 and was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1995. " Compared to public buildings, I care more about dwellings." Wu always said that the housing of ordinary people is the essential and central problem.

Wu Liangyong (file photo)

Wu Liangyong was chosen as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980 and was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1995. " Compared to public buildings, I care more about dwellings." Wu always said that the housing of ordinary people is the essential and central problem.

Wu Liangyong (file photo)

In the spring of 1922, Wu was born in an ordinary family in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. In July of 1940, he attended college entrance examination in his high school， Hechuan No.2 Middle School， in Chongqing. He always recalled the day when he handed out the paper of the last class in college entrance examinations, he heard an air defense alarm. Then he knew that Japanese fighters attacked the city.

The sufferings of the country and family planted a great dream of "making houses for everyone" in his heart.

Quadrangle Dwellings (file photo)

He enrolled in the department of architecture in Chongqing Central University in 1940. After the anti-Japanese war, he helped famous architect Liang Sicheng to found the department of architecture in Tsinghua University. In the summer of 1948, Liang recommended him to the department of architecture and urban designing at Cranbrook Academy of Art for further studies. Under the guidance of distinguished architect Eero Saarinen, he explored a new route combining Chinese and Western elements and ancient and modern ideas together.

Wu Liangyong (file photo)

Wu Liangyong came back to China in late 1950 despite grave difficulties. He has been teaching at Tsinghua University since then and had served as the chairman of the department.

"Liang Sicheng got spondylopathy and would not be able to bend, however, he still kept working so long every day. He always used a bottle to support his chin and kept drawing the sketch." He always recalls the past stories.

Source: GMW.cn