From Impression to Structure: The Development of Historical Representation in Liang Sicheng’s Architectural Drawings

Lina Wang; Xiao Wang

doi:10.33581/istoriya.v7i3.100

Authors

Lina Wang Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Xiao Wang Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33581/istoriya.v7i3.100

Keywords:

Chinese architectural heritage, Liang Sicheng, architectural representation, historical iconography, image–structure coherence, modern Chinese architecture, 1920s–1930s design discourse

Abstract

This study offers a comprehensive re-examination of one of the earliest systematic attempts to define and embed a coherent Chinese architectural tradition within modern design practice. Focusing on Liang Sicheng (1901–1972), a central figure in Chinese architectural history, the research situates his work within the broader cultural aspiration to reaffirm China’s historical identity during the early twentieth century. Using architectural drawings both as the primary object of study and as the analytical instrument, the paper investigates how Liang’s visual representations evolved across different phases of his career. Three key drawings from the 1920s and 1930s are juxtaposed and interpreted through an iconographic and iconological framework to trace shifts in his understanding and use of the architectural past. The findings reveal a gradual transformation in how Liang constructed tradition moving from atmospheric evocations of “Chineseness” to more deliberate efforts that aligned historical imagery with structural logic. These developments illuminate not only his maturing theoretical stance on the “correct” and “glorious” architectural past but also the ways his representational methods shaped a modern vision of Chinese architectural identity. The study ultimately argues that Liang’s drawings possess an autonomous evidentiary value, documenting the formation of a canonical architectural language that bridged historical reverence with modern design concerns. By reassessing these visual materials, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of how architectural representation mediated the creation of Chinese architectural modernity during a critical historical moment.

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