Liang Sicheng was the only architect among the first academicians of the National Academy of Research and has a high reputation in China and even the world. In addition to his outstanding achievements in the field of architecture in China, he is also because he is the eldest son of Liang Qichao and the husband of Lin Huiyin. So how did his architectural life be refined?
Liang Sicheng
Liang Sicheng (1901-1972) is from Xinhui, Guangdong. He was born in Tokyo, Japan on April 20, 1901. His mother, Li Huixian, came from a prominent family. He was the cousin of Liang Qichao who participated in the Guangdong Provincial Examination. Li Duanfen . Li Duanfen once served as the Minister of Rites and was the first advocate of the Peking University.
Li Duanfen appreciated Liang Qichao's talent and betrothed Li Huixian to Liang Qichao. Liang Qichao and Li Huixian have Liang Sishun , Liang Sicheng and Liang Sizhuang. Liang Sicheng was sent to kindergarten when he was 5 years old. When he was at school age, he was sent to Kobe Tongwen School to study in junior high school.
In October 1912, Liang Qichao and his family returned to Tianjin, ending his 14-year exile. He served as Xiong Xiling, the Chief Justice of the Cabinet, and moved to Beijing. Liang Sicheng was sent to Huiwen School and Chongde School, thus receiving good English education.
In 1915, Liang Sicheng was admitted to the junior college degree of Tsinghua University. He had a wide range of interests and hobbies. He had learned piano and violin as a teacher. He was also the captain of the school military band and the first trumpeter. His pen drawings were concise and he used his pens with ease. He worked as an art editor in "Tsinghua School Journal". He also loved sports very much. He won the first place in high jump at the school sports meeting. His single and double bars and rope climbing skills are also great, and he is also a regular on the football field.
Liang Sicheng
In 1920, under the guidance of Liang Qichao, Liang Sicheng, with his classmates Wu Wenzao, Xu Zongshu and his younger brother Liang Siyong, translated the " World History Outline " written by British scholar Wales into Chinese, and was revised by Liang Qichao and published by Commercial Press.
In June 1922, Liang Sicheng went to Philippine capital Manila to visit his mother Li Huixian and his eldest sister Liang Sishun's family. His eldest brother-in-law Zhou Xizhe was the Consul General of the Consulate in Manila at the time.
In 1923, Liang Sicheng graduated from Tsinghua School and obtained the qualification of a student who studied in the United States, but unfortunately suffered a car accident and was hit by the car that the deputy director of the Army, Jin Yongyan, was riding in. He was diagnosed with a composite femur fracture of the left leg.
During Liang Sicheng's hospitalization at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Lin Huiyin often visited and comforted Liang Sicheng. Lin Huiyin was the daughter of Lin Changmin . He was once the chief justice of Duan Qirui's cabinet and was close friends with Liang Qichao. With the help of his father, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin became lovers. It was at Lin Huiyin's suggestion that Liang Sicheng decided to go to the United States to study architecture.
In June 1924, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin went to the United States to study. Liang Sicheng entered the Department of Architecture of the University of Pennsylvania, and Lin Huiyin entered the Department of Fine Arts. Liang Sicheng took an elective course in the history of architecture, and thus made up his mind to fill the gap in the history of Chinese architecture, because at that time there was no book on the history of architecture in China.
Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin took photos on the Penn campus
In February 1927, Liang Sicheng graduated from the Department of Architecture of the University of Pennsylvania and obtained another master's degree in June of that year. During this period, he served as an assistant teacher and won many architectural design awards, showing his outstanding architectural design talent.
In the summer vacation of 1927, Liang Sicheng worked as an associate designer at Paul Crete Architecture in Philadelphia. In September of that year, he was admitted to the Harvard University Graduate School to pursue a doctorate degree in urban design.
When Liang Sicheng was writing his doctoral thesis "History of the Palaces in China", he found that the Harvard University Library's collection of books could not help him complete the writing of his doctoral thesis. After obtaining the consent of his supervisor, Professor Langdon Wallner, he decided to return to China for field investigations and collect information, and submit his doctoral thesis two years later.
In March 1928, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin held a simple wedding at the Consulate General of Ottawa, Canada, because at this time, the eldest brother-in-law Zhou Xizhe served as the Consulate General of Ottawa and presided over the wedding for the couple.
Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin’s wedding photo
Under Liang Qichao’s planning, Liang Sicheng and his wife began their European honeymoon journey, and had traveled to the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and other countries. Just as they were immersed in the shock brought by Western architectural civilization, they suddenly received a telegram from Liang Qichao to critically ill and returned to China through Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow.
Liang Qichao, who was sick, met Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin who had returned from school, and was very pleased. He contacted the employment unit for his son and daughter-in-law. Since Northeastern University was in its heyday at that time, Zhang Xueliang hired Liang Sicheng to establish the Department of Architecture and serve as the head of the department, and hired Professor Lin Huiyin.
In September 1928, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin founded the Department of Architecture at Northeastern University, and invited Chen Zhi, Tonghua , Cai Fangyin and others to join the Department of Architecture. Chen Zhi and Tonghua are also classmates at the University of Pennsylvania. Cai Fangyin is a master's degree at the MIT. Soon, Liang Chentong and Cai Construction Firm were established.
photo of teachers and students of the Department of Architecture of Northeastern University
On January 19, 1929, Liang Qichao died of premature illness due to a medical accident. Liang Sicheng personally designed and supervised the tomb of Liang Qichao, east of Xiangshan Reclining Buddha Temple, is now located in the Ginkgo Pine Cypress District, Beijing Botanical Garden, and it has become the cemetery of Liang Qichao family.
In the summer of 1929, Tsinghua teachers and students raised funds to build the "Wang Guowei Monument". The monument was designed by Liang Sicheng, and Chen Yinke wrote an inscription for the monument, among which the sentence "The spirit of independence, the thought of freedom" comes from the inscription.
In 1930, Liang Sicheng cooperated with Chen Zhi, Tong Hu, Cai Fangyin and others to design the Jilin Provincial University campus, and Liang Sicheng was the overall design. This building, commonly known as the "Stone Tower", can be said to be one of Liang Sicheng's early architectural works and is currently in the Northeast Electric Power University College of Jilin City.
"Stone Tower" designed by Liang Sicheng
In June 1931, Liang Sicheng and his family returned to No. 3, Zhuangbu Hutong, Beiping. There are two main reasons: one is that on the eve of the "September 18 Incident", the political situation in Northeast China was already in an unstable state, and the other is that Lin Huiyin's tuberculosis was not adapted to the severe cold climate in the Northeast.
In September 1931, Liang Sicheng was invited by Zhu Qiqiu to serve as the director of the French Department of the China Construction Society. The French Department focused on measuring things and sorting out French. Zhu Qiqiu served as the Chief of Transportation, Chief of Internal Affairs, and Acting Premier of the State. After retiring from politics, he founded the China Construction Society in Peiping in February 1930, committed to the research and protection of traditional Chinese architecture.
In 1932, with the help of two old folk craftsmen, Yang Wenqi and Zu Hezhou, Liang Sicheng interpreted the book "Engineering Practices" of the Ministry of Works of the Qing Dynasty, and wrote the "Qing Style Construction Regulations" in 1932. The book details the graphic layout, bracket shape, large wooden frame, base walls, roofs, decoration, color paintings, and other methods of Qing Dynasty palace buildings, as well as the names, trade-offs and functions of components, and attached "Qing Style Construction Vocabulary", "Table of Dimensions of Each Part" and "Qing Style Construction Regulations". This is the first academic monograph in China to summarize ancient architectural structure practices from a modern scientific and technological perspective.
"Qing-style construction rules"
In the spring of 1932, Liang Sicheng investigated Hebei Dule Temple, Jixian County, and published two investigation reports, "Examination of Guanyin Pavilion Mountain Gate of Dule Temple in Jixian County" and "Story of the White Pagoda of Guanyin Temple in Jixian County", demonstrating that Dule Temple was first built in the Liao Dynasty and was the oldest wooden hall known at that time, and attracted widespread attention in the international architectural community.
In June of that year, Liang Sicheng investigated the three great masters' halls of Guangji Temple in Hebei Baodi County . It was verified that Guangji Temple was also a Liao Dynasty building. It was this trip to Hebei that Liang Sicheng temporarily stopped the study of ancient Chinese architectural classics and started the search and investigation of ancient Chinese buildings.
In 1932, Liang Sicheng was hired as a researcher by the Institute of History and Language of the Central Academy of Sciences. Liang Sicheng, Cai Fangyin and Liu Dunzhen, co-written the "Repair Plan for the Loft of the Forbidden City Yuan", and co-wrote the "Miscellaneous Records of Pingjiao Architecture" with Lin Huiyin. In this year, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin met the famous American sinologists Fei Zhengqing and Fei Weimei, and established a lifelong friendship with them.
Liang Sicheng and his wife took a photo with Fei Zhengqing and his wife
In August 1932, his son Liang Congjie was born. Liang Si became the name of "Congjie" to commemorate the famous architect of the Song Dynasty, Li Jie . When his daughter was born three years ago, he was named Liang Zaibing to commemorate Liang Qichao's "Yanbing Room" study.
From 1932 to 1934, Liang Sicheng served as a professor at Peking University and Tsinghua University, and taught courses such as Chinese architectural history and architecture. During this period, he successively investigated ancient buildings and historical relics such as Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Hebei, Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, Shanhua Temple in , and Yungang Grottoes , and published papers such as "Zhengding Survey Records", "Datong Ancient Architecture Survey Report", and "Northern Wei Architectures in Yungang Grottoes".
Fugong Temple wooden pagoda was investigated in Ying County, Shanxi Province, and Hanging Temple was investigated in Hunyuan County. Liang Sicheng verified that the Fogong Temple wooden pagoda was the tallest existing wooden building in ancient China and even in the world. He investigated in Zhaozhou Bridge of the Sui Dynasty in Zhao County, Hebei Province, and proved that the Zhaozhou Bridge was built by Li Chun of the Sui Dynasty and was also the earliest open-shoulder bridge in the world.
wooden pagoda drawn by Liang Sicheng
In 1934, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin jointly designed the Geological Museum of Peking University. In August of that year, they went to Shanxi with Fei Zhengqing and his wife to inspect and discovered more than 40 ancient buildings, including the Jin Temple in Taiyuan, Guangsheng Temple in Zhaocheng and the King of Mingying. Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin jointly published the "Preliminary of Ancient Construction Preliminary of Jinfen".
In October of this year, at the invitation of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Construction, Liang Sicheng went to Hangzhou to discuss the reconstruction plan of Liuhe Pagoda. He inspected the ancient buildings in Zhejiang, and measured the double stone pagoda of Lingyin Temple and the white pagoda of Zhakou. He identified the three pagodas in the Song Dynasty. He went to Xuanping County to investigate the Yanfu Temple and determined it to be a building in the Yuan Dynasty. He found a Yuan Dynasty hall in Tianning Temple. On the way back, he investigated the 日本語, the stone pagoda of Qixia Temple, etc., and wrote the "Hangzhou Liuhe Pagoda Restoration Plan" and "Zhejiang Hangzhou County Hangzhou County Zhangkou White Pagoda and Lingyin Temple Double Stone Pagoda".
At the end of 1934, Liang Sicheng was appointed as a member of the Central Antiquities Preservation Committee and was commissioned by the Institute of History and Language to lead colleagues of the China Construction Society to conduct detailed surveys and mapping of the Forbidden City in Peking, and surveyed and mapped more than 60 Forbidden City buildings. At the same time, ancient buildings such as Andingmen , Fuchengmen , Dongzhimen, Xuanwumen, Chongwenmen, Xinhuamen, Tianning Temple, and Gongwang Mansion in Peking were also measured, and wooden pagodas of Dule Temple in Jixian and Fogong Temple in Yingxian were formulated.
In February 1935, Liang Sicheng inspected the Confucius Temple in Qufu, conducted a survey on 40 buildings in Confucius Temple, surveyed and mapped some important buildings, and published the "Construction and Repair Plan for the Confucius Temple in Qufu", and explained his opinions on the maintenance of ancient buildings in Confucius Temple. This year, he was commissioned by the Central Research Institute of and the Ministry of Education to preside over the architectural design competition of the Central Museum and the Central Library, and designed the female dormitory of Peking University.
From 1935 to 1936, Liang Sicheng followed his half-brother Liang Siyong to the Yinxu site in Anyang to visit and inspect the archaeological excavations of the Yin Ruins site, and inspect ancient buildings in Anyang, Luoyang and other places.
Liang Sicheng (right) took a photo with Liang Siyong
In April 1936, Liang Sicheng received American architect and urban planner Clarence Stein and his wife in Peking. Through interactions with Stein, Liang Sicheng began to pay attention to and think about the planning issues of Chinese cities.
In the winter of 1936, Liang Sicheng went to Shanxi and Shaanxi to investigate ancient buildings in 19 counties, mainly investigating and mapping the Big Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild
In June 1937, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin were invited to Xi'an to formulate a maintenance plan for the Xiaoyan Pagoda, and by the way they designed the stele forest project. They also investigated the Huajue Lane, Xuanzang Pagoda, and Qin Shihuang Mausoleum in Xi'an. Soon, they went to Mount Wutai, Shanxi to survey and survey Foguang Temple , confirming that Foguang Temple was a building in the Tang Dynasty. Yuhua Palace of Yongshou Temple was discovered in Yuci, and it was verified that Yuhua Palace was built in the Song Dynasty.
Liang Sicheng and his wife took a picture when inspecting ancient buildings
Liang Sicheng led colleagues from the China Construction Society, covering 137 counties, surveyed 1,823 ancient building halls, measured more than 200 groups of buildings in detail, drew 1,898 surveying and mapping artworks, and collected a large number of precious ancient architectural historical materials for the country and the nation. It can be said to be a census of ancient Chinese architectural relics. The hardships paid in it are unimaginable. He is a well-deserved master of studying ancient Chinese architecture and opened up the road to research on Chinese architectural history.
After the "July 7 Incident", the staff of the China Construction Society were temporarily disbanded, and all important materials were stored in the Tianjin British Capital McGary Bank Vault. Liang Sicheng and his wife took Liang Zaibing, Liang Congjie and Lin Huiyin's mother to Hunan, Guizhou and other places, and arrived in Kunming, Yunnan in January 1938. The colleagues of the China Construction Society Liu Dunzhen, Liu Zhiping, Mo Zongjiang , Chen Mingda and others also arrived in Kunming. Since the China Construction Society must rely on the books and materials of the Institute of History and Language, they moved to Longtou Village, a suburb of Kunming with the Institute of History and Language.
In early 1939, Liang Sicheng had to wear a hardened spinal soft tissue, so he had to wear a hard vest to support his spine. He once stayed in bed for more than half a year. In August of that year, he went to Sichuan with Liu Dunzhen, Mo Zongjiang, Chen Mingda and others to inspect ancient buildings, focusing on Hanque, cliff tombs and cliff carvings.
Liang Sicheng discussed issues with Lin Huiyin on the sickbed
In 1940, Liang Sicheng and his wife designed and built a simple house for themselves in Longtou Village. As Japanese planes attacked the rear of the southwest more and more frequently, institutions such as the Institute of History and Languages of the Central Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Social Sciences were forced to move to Lizhuang, Sichuan, and the China Construction Society also moved there.
Since several research institutes and Tongji University belong to the Central Research Institute are all in Lizhuang, Lizhuang has thus become another cultural center after Chongqing and Kunming, and its reputation has also been well-known at home and abroad. Letters from home and abroad can be received as long as they are written on China·Sichuan·Lizhuang, and can be called a miracle in the history of world postal services.
In this relatively safe and quiet environment, Liang Sicheng began to concentrate on studying Li Jie's "Creating the French Style" by the Song Dynasty, and successively completed most of the French styles in the book, and began to write "History of Chinese Architecture" in 1942.
Cultural Counselor of the British Embassy Joseph Needham Dr. Needham visited Lizhuang in 1943. Liang Sicheng left a deep impression on Joseph Needham. Later, in his book "Chinese Science and Culture", he praised Liang Si as the master of studying ancient Chinese architecture, because during this period Liang Sicheng completed the "History of Chinese Architecture" and the English version of " Image History of Chinese Architecture ".
"Image History of Chinese Architecture"
Liang Sicheng was appointed as the deputy director of the Theater Command Cultural Relics Preservation Committee of the Ministry of Education in 1944. He was ordered to work in Chongqing for a period of time to compile a list of cultural relics and buildings that need to be protected in the enemy-occupied areas for the 14th Air Force of the United States, and to indicate the location on the military map. At the same time, it was recommended that the US military protect Japan's historical and literary cities Kyoto and Nara during the war.
In October 1945, Liang Sicheng published the "System Order of the Town" in the "Ta Kung Pao", proposing the social idea of "the occupants have their own houses" and "one person, one bed". He hopes to add departments of architecture and town planning in various universities, pointing out that "living and working in peace" is the highest purpose of urban planning. This is a grand idea proposed 74 years ago. Now, looking at Liang Sicheng's remarks back then, we can see how advanced his foresight is.
Liang Sicheng
In 1946, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin were hired as professors by Tsinghua University. He founded the Department of Architecture and served as the head of the department. Previously, he suggested that Mei Yiqi open the Department of Architecture to cultivate talents for the post-war urban planning and construction of China. At this time, the China Construction Society stopped working and jointly established the China Institute of Architecture with Tsinghua University.
In October 1946, Liang Sicheng went to the United States to inspect modern architecture education. He returned to China to complete his doctoral thesis, but he did not have time to take it into consideration. Instead, he delivered himself completely to the country and the nation. Everything he did was based on the needs of the country.
In February 1947, the Chinese government appointed Liang Sicheng to participate in the design of the United Nations Building. Princeton University invited Liang Sicheng to serve as the leader of the International Symposium on "Far East Culture and Society". Liang Sicheng gave two academic reports at the seminar, introduced the Sichuan Dazu stone carvings to the international academic community, and also received an honorary doctorate in literature awarded by Princeton University.
Liang Sicheng took a photo while working at the United Nations
In July 1947, Liang Sicheng brought back a large number of new books on architecture and urban planning from the United States, and introduced the latest international architectural theories and architectural education views into teaching. Liang Sicheng made up his mind to build the Tsinghua Architecture Department into a world-class architectural department. He also wrote a letter to Mei Yiqi in collaboration with Professors Chen Mengjia and Deng Yizhe, suggesting the establishment of an art history department and research room.
In March 1948, Liang Sicheng was elected as the first academician of the Central Academy of Research and participated in the 20th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Central Academy of Research and the first meeting of all academicians held in the Beiji Pavilion in Nanjing.
Liang Sicheng attended the meeting of the Academicians of the North Pole Pavilion to take a photo
In December 1948, Liang Sicheng was invited to draw a map of ancient buildings in Peking in order to protect important ancient buildings in Beiping when the People's Liberation Army sieges the city. Due to the peaceful liberation of Peking, the ancient Beijing was fully protected.
In February 1949, Liang Sicheng and Mo Zongjiang, Luo Zhewen and others compiled the "National Architectural Cultural Relics Summary" as the purpose of protecting ancient buildings during the People's Liberation Army's southward combat. The book attached the "Instructions for the Protection of Ancient Buildings" compiled by the Peking Cultural Relics Organizing Committee.
After the peaceful liberation of Peking, Liang Sicheng was appointed as a member of the Urban Planning Committee of the Beijing Municipal Government and participated in the planning and design work of Peking. In August 1949, he was hired as an advisor to the "National Flag and National Emblem" Primary Election Committee, and organized Tsinghua teachers and students to participate in the national emblem design. Lin Huiyin was also the main designer of the national emblem.
In January 1950, Liang Sicheng was appointed as the deputy chairman of the Beijing Municipal Planning Committee. Liang Sicheng and urban planning expert Chen Zhanxiang jointly proposed the "Suggestions on the Location of the Administrative Central District of the Central People's Government", known in history as the "Liang Chen Plan". Liang Sicheng suggested that Beijing's administrative center be located in the western suburbs of Beijing to preserve the original appearance of Beijing's historical ancient city.
Liang Sicheng
Chen Zhanxiang suggested setting up the administrative center in the Sanlihe area, that is, isolating the old city and the new city area, in order to preserve the original appearance of Beijing's historical ancient city. Liang Sicheng eventually favored Chen Zhanxiang's plan, but their suggestions failed to get the old city of Beijing out of the fate of being demolished, but instead were attacked and criticized, and Chen Zhanxiang was even labeled as a rightist.
In the summer of 1951, at the suggestion of Liang Sicheng, the Department of Horticulture of Beijing Agricultural University and the Department of Construction of Tsinghua University jointly founded China's first gardening major. In 1952, he served as the architectural design host of the People's Heroes Monument and joined the China Democratic League in 1953.
Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin
Liang Siyong died in Beijing on April 2, 1954. A year later, Lin Huiyin also died in Beijing on April 1, 1955. Liang Sicheng lost his younger brother and beloved wife in one year, and suffered a heavy mental blow, because both of them died young, which made people sigh.
In June 1955, Liang Sicheng was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and joined the Communist Party of China in January 1959, which made him feel better. After seven years of widowhood, he married his student Cheng Yingquan ex-wife Lin Zhu 2. Although this marriage was not favored by relatives and friends, Lin Zhu accompanied and took care of Liang Sicheng for the last ten years.
In June 1963, Liang Sicheng designed the " Jianzhen Memorial Hall " in Yangzhou. This is the most important architectural work in his later years. He won the first prize of National Excellent Design of the Ministry of Construction in 1984.
Jianzhen Memorial Hall
During the Cultural Revolution, Liang Sicheng was inevitably impacted and was characterized as "bourgeois reactionary academic authority", and was criticized and paraded inhumanely treated. He was admitted to a Beijing hospital at the end of 1968. Even during the hospitalization, he was forced to write examination materials.
On January 9, 1972, Liang Sicheng, a master of architecture, passed away at the Beijing Hospital at the age of 71. Liang Sicheng's memorial service was held in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery Auditorium on the afternoon of January 12. This auditorium just held a memorial service for Marshal Chen Yi . The staff just changed Chen Yi's name to Liang Sicheng's name.
