Zhang Jinqiu, female, was born in Oct. 1936 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China. In 1966, she graduated from the Department of Architectural History and Theory for Master Degree of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. And, under the then prevailing Governmental Assigning System, she was assigned to go to the Chinas Architectural Designing Bureau of Northwestern Region of China in the city Xian, working in Architectural Designing and Theoretical Pursuits. And began from 1987 up to the present day, she has been appointed Chief Architect of the Northwestern Region Designing Bureau of China mentioned above. And starting from 2009, she has been appointed Chief Architect in China’s Capital Construction Design Groups. The following Honorary Conferments show plainly the achievements and contributions of our titleholder Zhang Jinqiu. Namely, in 1991, when China started to declare and honor our Mastery Connoisseurs in Architectural Designing of China’s Capital Construction, the name of Zhang Jinqiu was among the first namelist announced. In 1994, when China started to declare and honor Academician of China, Zhang Jinqiu’s name was also listed in the first namelist of China’s Academy of Engineering announced. In 2001, the Liang Sicheng Architecture Award was setting up, Zhang Jinqiu was among the first round winners. And in 2005, when the Xian Science and Technology Award for Outstanding Contributions started launching, Zhang Jinqiu again was among the first round Award Winners.
Prominent Achievements of Zhang Jinqiu
Zhang Jinqiu has been working in Xian, Shaanxi Province since the year 1966 up to this day, for nearly half a century. Her daily routine is based on Chinese cultural traditions, doing Architectural researching or designing practices in turn. She insists on unity of Science and Art, jointing of tradition and modernism, she prefers national features with spirit of the times, and with the core of Chinese Architectural Rationalism. It must at the same time be the scientific and technical achievement with technological and material successes, also possible to reflect the value, the pursuit of humanity and the artistic grading. As an architect, one should be able to resolve contradictions into scientific harmony. One should create excellent projects to satisfy the needs of society and to turn it into a harmonizing society.
1. On the “spiritual” and the “meaningful” in Chinese traditional idea of Space
——The principle and ways of developing Chinese traditional Space — from “form” and “solid” to “spiritual” and “meaningful.”
Examples:
(1)Harmony between Man and Nature;
(2)Solid and void coexistent;
(3)Space and Time Merging;
(4)Scenes and Emotion Combined,etc.
2. The city of Xian had her glorious past, especially during the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Jinqiu is trying a new way to adorn the present day Xian city to regain her Tang Dynasty splendor. The new way includes Zhang Jinqiu’s daringly absorbing International HighTech products. And on the other hand, she emphasizes on inheriting outstanding Chinese traditional features. The unifying of these two will present not an antique. It will be an unity of Science and Art, a combination of tradition and modernity, a merging of city and buildings, it will provide us lots of excellent architecture imbued with Chinese cultural atmosphere, and full of regional character and the spirit of the Age.
3. For Zhang Jinqiu, there is one goal she has never neglected, and that is: she never stop considering a new way for better protecting and developing our ancient towns. She had already learned by heart from Prof. Liang Sicheng all about the idea of ancient town protection. All the new monumental Buildings she had done for Xian has already naturally matching up and forming a new cityscape of this ancient town.
4. Zhang Jinqiu thinks it important that in design theory: tradition should keep pace with modern practice. And consider of architectural form should be connected with consideration of function and the main thing is Science and Art be connected.
