Alternative Modernity, Rural Rediscovery and What Next: The Ongoing Debate on the Modern in China

While modernity in the West is seen as essentially related to urbanisation, in China it has long been recognised that cities are not the sole location for cultural and technological innovation. After summarising the philosophical factors that led to this more nuanced state of affairs, Li Zhang , Professor of Architecture and Associate Dean of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University and leader of Beijing design office TeamMinus, identifies three modes of modernity that have coexisted in China over the last three decades – one of which is exclusively rural.