TV show brings 12 architectural treasures to life

The television broadcast of this year's Spring Festival Gala showcased a spectacular performance called Dong Liang, which highlighted 12 exquisite ancient Chinese architectural treasures in less than three and a half minutes.

Using digital technology, the show brought ancient buildings including the Grand Eastern Hall of Foguang Temple, one of the oldest wooden temples in China, to life.

Yu Kui, the granddaughter of renowned Chinese architects Liang Sicheng (1901-72) and his wife Lin Huiyin (1904-55), was one of the viewers impressed by the show. She said that her grandfather Liang had a lifelong dream of introducing traditional Chinese architecture to the world.

The display also drew inspiration from the Beijing Central Axis — a collection of palaces, public buildings, and gardens in the old city area of the capital that was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List last year.

Based on Liang's architectural drawings, three-dimensional models were created, that gave viewers an immersive experience.

Yu said that watching the broadcast felt like walking through the ancient buildings her grandfather had surveyed.

Liang and Lin identified Foguang Temple in Shanxi province, a well-preserved example of Tang Dynasty (618-907) architecture, in 1937.

In June 2024, a commemorative event was held at Foguang Temple to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Lin, a respected Chinese architect and writer in the 20th century who was a female pioneer in her field.

Yu said that the temple has great importance in her grandmother's exploration of ancient Chinese architecture. "She looked like a gentle and delicate woman judging from her appearance, but actually, she possessed a strong, unyielding and unwavering personality," Yu said.

Lin studied at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. She completed all the courses as an art student and excelled in architecture studies. However, Lin did not receive an architecture degree due to the social norms in the United States at the time, which did not allow women to pursue studies in architecture.

In May 2024, the university's Stuart Weitzman School of Design posthumously awarded Lin a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture to recognize her pioneering contributions to modern Chinese architecture. Yu accepted the long-overdue degree on behalf of Lin at the award ceremony.

"My grandmother spent her whole life proving herself to be a truly deserving architect," Yu said. "Receiving this award on behalf of my grandmother was both an honor and a way to carry on her legacy."