Writing In(to) Architecture 速寫建築

Using detailed examples from field journals and the mass media, Sylvia Chan traces the evolution of architectural journalism in China from 1949 to the present. She takes us from the propagandistic writings of the Mao era, when the government used architectural journalism to enforce successive waves of politically fashionable architectural principles, to the contemporary "free-for-all" discourse—now stretching into the blogosphere—where politics and nationalism sometimes masquerade as architectural debate. Additionally, Chan identifies important issues that transcend China, weaving in broader insights about the role of the architecture critic in society.
 
在本書中，陳曼霞以專業期刊及大眾傳媒寫作為切入點，勾勒出中國建築傳媒自1949年至今的發展。其討論範圍包括毛澤東時期的宣傳性文章以至當代「全民參與」的建築論述。在毛澤東時期，政府利用建築傳媒，鞏固因應政治環境而改變的建築設計及建造方針；當今的建築論述已延伸至博客空間，有關政治及民族主義的爭辯時而偽裝成有關建築的辯論。在書中，陳氏亦描述了改變中國的重大議題，並剖析建築評論家的社會角色。

After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies and her Master of Journalism from the University of Hong Kong, Sylvia Chan went on to earn her Master of Arts in Architectural Histories and Theories at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.