From “FAW” to “SAW”: Technology Transfer and Local Adaptation of Industrial Architectural Paradigms
The Second Automobile Works, a landmark of China’s first independently designed and built automobile factory, exemplifies autonomous exploration under challenging conditions. While its construction drew on FAW—which had Soviet assistance during the 1950s “156 Key Projects”—SAW displayed distinctly different practices. By comparing FAW and SAW diachronically, this study traces the evolution of Chinese industrial architecture from Soviet-model transplantation to local adaptation. Using representative cases, it reveals the commonalities, distinctions, and transformations of construction paradigms across two critical periods, highlighting the coordinated development of technology, space, and institutions, and offering fresh perspectives on China’s modern architectural, industrial, and corporate history.