A woman of her time, a leader of the ages
Recognition came too late, but it has changed perceptions of an architect who left an indelible mark on China, Hou Chenchen and Zhu Xingxin report in Taiyuan.
On June 10, the 120th anniversary of Lin's birth, the architecture program at the University of Pennsylvania, which is now under the Weitzman School of Design, put everything in its correct perspective. At its annual graduation ceremony, it awarded Lin, who died in 1955, a Bachelor of Architecture degree in recognition of her pioneering contributions to Chinese architecture.
"All the men from China received full scholarships and Lin got half of one. She was the only woman and the only student who wasn't allowed to get an architecture degree," Dean Fritz Steiner said.
"My mother had a strong sense of freedom," Liang Congjie wrote in his article. "Even though she was a university teacher, published articles and was famous, she was stripped of her own identity and simply regarded as Liang Sicheng's wife."
Su Dan, deputy director of the China National Arts and Crafts Museum in Beijing, says that it was through Hou Youbin, a disciple of Lin and Liang Sicheng, and an expert in ancient Chinese architectural history, that he first got wind of Foguang Temple. Over the course of 40 years, Su says that he visited the temple countless times and retraced the couple's steps as they explored ancient buildings.
"Generations of Chinese architects grew up heavily influenced by the couple," Wang says. "I have visited Shanxi many times, far more than even they did, yet everything I do is rooted in their work."
