A visionary ahead of his time

Wang Shu [Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2012, Wang received the biggest accolade that most people in his profession could only dream of getting when he won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The Pritzker jury had also praised Wang's "unique ability to evoke the past, without making direct references to history", while calling his work "timeless, deeply rooted in its context and yet universal".

Wang described his approach as a combination of ancient aesthetics with modern utility. As an architect working in contemporary China, he believes "one has the opportunity to create something great, something lasting longer than his own life span."

For the Fuyang project, Wang was determined to reignite the ancient Chinese admiration for mountains and rivers which embody a unique Chinese philosophy about seeking a life that is in harmony with nature. This was why he had laid out his unusual condition about designing homes for local villagers.

Together with his employees from Amateur Architecture Studio and students from the China Art Academy, Wang visited 290 villages in the area to inspect old houses and be immersed in the traditional way of life. He said that nature plays an integral role in the rudimentary yet charming way of life in such areas which is today on the verge of extinction. He lamented how many of the homes being built in the country today are soulless "American-style big villas" or "fake antiques" with white walls and gray tiles.