I don't use tools to create things, but I use them to realize things. — Ma Yansong Create Copy Share Image
I think architecture should be a stage, not something too material - more of an environment, not a product. — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
We need to be brave and tell the politicians what a better future could be. — Ma Yansong Better Copy Share Image
We need to enter a new era to make nature and humans more emotionally connected in modern cities. — Ma Yansong Emotionally Copy Share Image
Modern buildings have become memorials to power and capital. More and more, they're isolated from people. — Ma Yansong Buildings Copy Share Image
The way a human can coexist with nature has to be at the spiritual level. — Ma Yansong Human Copy Share Image
The architecture scene in China is the most open and free climate compared to many other places. You can find many opportunities. — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
A shan-shui city is a modern city, a high-density urban situation, but we pay more attention to the environment. We bring waterfalls;… — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
I think, in our modern cities, there are a lot of boxes; there are a lot of straight lines. They often deal… — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
We try to turn buildings into landscapes - defying the idea of modernism which sees nature and buildings as two distinct elements. — Ma Yansong Buildings 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 Art Copy Share Image
The difficulty with big cities does not lie in skyscrapers or high-rises per se; rather, it is the values concealed within those… — Ma Yansong Big cities Copy Share Image
Sometimes I sketch and then scan my sketch directly to make the curves more freehand. I don't want to make perfect industrial… — Ma Yansong Artist Copy Share Image
Tiananmen Square is a sensitive topic because many things happened there. The idea of turning the plaza into a forest makes many… — Ma Yansong Forest Copy Share Image
In a traditional Japanese or Chinese garden, it's not only about the building or temple but about the whole setup - the… — Ma Yansong Beautiful Copy Share Image
To allow millions of people to live together on limited land, we have to go to the sky; we have to build… — Ma Yansong Family Copy Share Image
Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our office has been discussing how we can make architecture more human and at one with… — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
Since the Industrial Revolution, we tend to use technology to show our power: you know, we build high-rises, towers, big buildings that… — Ma Yansong Capitalism Copy Share Image
We proposed Tiananmen Square - this very empty political square in the city centre - should turn green. Maybe in the future,… — Ma Yansong Change Copy Share Image
I grew up in Beijing, and there weren't many modern buildings during my childhood. I was influenced by traditional culture - the… — Ma Yansong Art Copy Share Image
Chaoyang Park Plaza is about how to carry the traditional culture into a new format in modern architecture. Instead of building a… — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
China has some cities, traditional cities, with a long history. They are so beautiful, and they were planned so smartly. I call… — Ma Yansong Beautiful Copy Share Image
'Shan shui' you can literally translate as 'mountain and water.' In traditional Chinese culture, there are a lot of paintings about shan… — Ma Yansong Chinese culture Copy Share Image
Chinese people need to be aware of their present and ask, 'What's our culture? What can we bring to the world?' I… — Ma Yansong Anything 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… — Ma Yansong Architects Copy Share Image
Instead of making grand structures and beautiful buildings, we should focus on the environment and the urban space and how you encourage… — Ma Yansong Beautiful Copy Share Image
Oscar Niemeyer really inspired me. He's from South America, where nature has meaning. And his architecture was not expensive or high tech… — Ma Yansong America 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 Chinese people Copy Share Image
When you look at classical structures, they're often linked to literature, music, or a poem. They were constructed by master builders, which… — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
The shan-shui city idea is trying to bring traditional values and ways of living to modern high-rise architecture. — Ma Yansong Architecture 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… — Ma Yansong Buildings 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 Architecture Copy Share Image
There must be a way to combine the high rise and high-density environment with nature. Maybe we can have our gardens in… — Ma Yansong Environment Copy Share Image
When we talk about a city, we need to talk about what the future is. Whats the ideal scenario in the future? — Ma Yansong City 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… — Ma Yansong Architecture Copy Share Image
