'Shan shui' you can literally translate as 'mountain and water.' In traditional Chinese culture, there are a lot of paintings about shan shui, but now we're talking about a shan-shui city. — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
China is a place where you can experience two very contrasting things coexisting. First, the rich, cultural history of the country - and, second,… — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past. — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
When I graduated from high school, I thought I wanted to make science fiction movies, so I applied to film school, but I couldn't… — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
If we're talking about the urban landscape as an advanced, forward-thinking art form, there must be some intellectual thinking involved. — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
In traditional cities like Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, nature was a very important part of urban planning - not only as a landscape but… — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
I think where traditional values are concerned, Chinese people see nature as very symbolic. It's a form of culture. — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
In China, it's very easy to make architecture special because anything you design will look different, as most parts of the city are very… — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
The way we do our architecture is to show that we can come up with our own solutions. We don't just take orders. — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
I would say that many architects are very logical. They start their process from analysis and from rational processes to try and find the… — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
Although we're architects, we believe we do culture; architecture is culture, and the topics we tackle will always arise a broader debate. — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
We proposed Tiananmen Square - this very empty political square in the city centre - should turn green. Maybe in the future, this space… — Ma Yansong Copy Share Image
