From Socialist Realism to A New Architectural Style of Chinese Socialism: The Construction of Architectural Design Theory in the Early Years of the PRC
The development of China’s architectural industry was deeply influenced by the Soviet Union. In recent years, Chinese architectural scholars have increasingly focused on the early architectural design, art, and criticism of the early years of the PRC. However, many unresolved questions remain regarding socialist realism and its impact on architectural theory. These include: how did Chinese architects understand and apply socialist realism? What developments occurred in architectural theory under Soviet influence? And, in the face of the international situation, Sino-Soviet relations, and practical development issues, how did China adapt the theories introduced from the Soviet Union and what kind of localized theories were constructed? Therefore, this study will take Architectural Journal (建筑学报), the most authoritative publication from the 1950s to the 1960s, as its research subject. It aims to clarify the various discussions surrounding architectural design theory that took place between the introduction of socialist realism to China and the proposal of A New Architectural Style of Chinese Socialism in 1959. When it was established as the guiding principle for China's architecture in 1953, socialist realism immediately sparked debates over issues such as constructivism, formalism, functionalism, and revivalism. Simultaneously, under the combined influence of socialist realism and Beaux-Arts, the renowned Chinese architect Liang Sicheng (梁思成) proposed the concept of Architectural Translatability (建筑可译论). During the 1950s, Architectural Journal was the site of a debate concerning the relationship between architectural art and national form. This discussion involved Chinese architects' understanding of various fundamental concepts under the ideology of socialist realism, including the class character of architecture, the relationship between architectural function, technology, and art, and the relationship between architectural form and content. The introduction of the Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom and a Hundred Schools of Thought (百花齐放，百家争鸣) Contend policy in 1956 enabled Chinese architects to begin critiquing Soviet, and particularly Stalinist-era, socialist realism architectural theory. Concurrently, they proposed a new architectural policy emphasizing Solidity, Applicability, and Attention to Aesthetics under Possible Conditions. Despite this critique, Chinese architects in this debate still adhered to the use of national form within socialist realism. The Second Congress of Soviet Architects was also a key point of study during this period. Nevertheless, these discussions already revealed Chinese architects’ attempts to construct a localized architectural design theory. In 1959, China's proposal of A New Architectural Style of Chinese Socialism to a certain extent signaled the end of socialist realism as the official method. This development was also related to the gradual deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations in the late 1950s. While there was no definitive consensus on what constituted the new style, the Ten Great Buildings, completed in Beijing that same year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the PRC, exemplify the new approach. Architectural design at the time began to boldly borrow from and innovate upon the experiences of the Soviet Union, other socialist countries, and even capitalist nations, resulting in a diversity of architectural forms. Overall, China’s theoretical understanding of socialist realism was not particularly deep, for several reasons. China needed to complete a vast amount of socialist construction in a very short period, which made architectural discourse highly practice-oriented. Furthermore, the introduction of its own architectural policy in the mid-1950s caused socialist realism to gradually fade. Within the framework of socialist realism and dialectical materialism, the Chinese architectural community did engage in discussions on some fundamental theories, which marked a significant development compared to the Republican era. As the people's character and national character were key components of socialist realism, China indeed created a number of national-style buildings that were distinct from those of the Republican period. Ultimately, China's adaptation of Soviet architectural theory and the construction of its own localized theory in the 1950s were a reflection of Sino-Soviet relations and the dynamics within the socialist bloc during the Cold War.