1965438+On April 26th, 2007, I.M. Pei was born in a banker's family in Guangzhou. He spent his childhood in Hong Kong. 1927, Mr. Bei's family moved to Shanghai, so 10-year-old I.M. Pei entered St. John's Primary School in Shanghai and began to receive western education. On weekends and holidays, he often goes back to his hometown in Suzhou with his parents and enjoys playing in the vast and beautiful garden of the Bayesian family. When I was studying in Shanghai, I.M. Pei was not interested in colorful neon lights and dazzling goods, but she enjoyed high-rise buildings. At that time, the tallest building in Shanghai was the International Hotel. I don't know how many times I have pondered this behemoth standing on the beach, from upstairs to downstairs, from external layout to internal decoration. Gradually, an ambition took root in his heart, that is, to be an architect in the future and let more tall and beautiful buildings stand on the land of the motherland.
The banker's father showed great concern for his clever and diligent eldest son, hoping that he would become a doctor in the future. However, I.M. Pei was afraid of seeing blood, so his father had to obey his son's wishes and send him to study in the United States.
1In the summer of 935, I.M. Pei finally boarded an ocean liner bound for the United States. In the United States, he entered the Department of Architecture of the University of Pennsylvania. Tired of this school's architecture department focusing only on painting skills and neglecting architectural knowledge's teaching methods, he transferred to the architecture engineering department of MIT. Later, I.M. Pei entered Harvard University and studied under a generation of famous architects.
The outbreak of World War II forced I.M. Pei to change his original intention and look at the motherland groaning under the rule of the Japanese aggressors. He hesitated and decided to settle in America. 65438-0942 made friends with Miss Lu Shuhua who studied at Wellesley College in the United States. Miss Lu is virtuous and intelligent, and knows Mr. Bei's talent well. At the beginning of marriage, she gave up her major and wholeheartedly assisted her husband's career.
1946, I.M. Pei obtained a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University and stayed there to teach, becoming the youngest assistant professor in the department.
1948 One day, I.M. Pei was introduced to the American real estate tycoon Chai Kendoff. Chai Kendoff handed the design task of his private office to I.M. Pei. I.m. Pei was very talented when he was young. After the office was built, the real estate king praised Pei Ming, saying that this wizard was not only well educated, but also had superhuman wisdom. Immediately, Chai Kendoff safely handed over the design tasks of several 20-story buildings in Denver and new york and a number of Canadian buildings to him, an architect in his early 30s.
1955, I.M. Pei opened his own architectural design office in new york. 1958, he established "I.M. Pei Design Company", thus a new star rose in the night sky of American architecture. Since its opening, the architectural design company has successively built the Kennedy Library in Boston, the Mary Mall in Montreal, Canada, the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii, the Earth Science Building of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Collins Square in Melbourne, Australia, Raffles International Center in Singapore, and the Industrial Loan Bank Building in Tehran, Iran. The buildings designed by I.M. Pei are widely known and often become a must-see place for tourists to take photos as a souvenir.
With the growing fame, I.M. Pei's client list is getting longer and longer, and the social level is getting higher and higher. In his social circle, there are musicians, writers, artists and business tycoons. In the design of the East Hall of the National Gallery, he found the most ideal client-Paul Miron. In order to expand the National Gallery invested by his father, the tycoon is determined to do whatever it takes. The check he gave to I.M. Pei can be filled with numbers at will. His only requirement is that everything from drawing design and installation technology to building materials and internal facilities must be the best.
1978, the East Pavilion project was finally completed, and I.M. Pei lived up to expectations and once again showed his talents. Main hall platforms, stairs, slopes and colonnades with different heights and geometries are staggered. The bright sunshine shines on the wall through the spider-web skylight and becomes a beautiful pattern. Those ornaments hanging on the skylight are as light as a feather, and slowly flutter with the airflow, just like birds relaxing their wings, adding infinite vitality to the hall.
After the opening of the East Hall, the audience was like a cloud and received rave reviews. In just 50 days, it attracted 65,438+0,000 viewers. Praises such as "The East Pavilion represents a rare quality of our time" and "It is the most outstanding museum of our time" often appear in influential newspapers and magazines. The design of this building makes I.M. Pei a world-class architect. The following year, he won the gold medal of the National Institute of Architecture, which was called "I.M. Pei Year" by the American architectural community.
198 1 year, French president Francois Mitterrand decided to choose an excellent architect to renovate the Louvre in Napoleon Square. This news caused a sensation in the architectural world, and famous teachers and masters all over the world are eager to win this honor. When the French Ministry of Culture asked the 15 Museum for advice and asked them to help find an architect, 14 strongly recommended Pei. Finally, I.M. Pei, an oriental, was chosen by President Mitterrand to shoulder the heavy responsibility of adding luster to western cultural treasures. 1July, 989, the reception hall of Louvre was officially completed. When a bright glass pyramid appeared in the square surrounded by blue waves, people began to believe that President Mitterrand had a unique vision and the famous architect I.M. Pei deserved it.
1983, I.M. Pei also promised to design a new office building for Bank of China Hong Kong Branch. Six years later, a 70-story skyscraper rose next to the old building of China Bank where I.M. Pei's father used to work. The shape of this new building is like bamboo, which means that it is rising step by step. The glass fiber reinforced plastic structure makes it look like a radiant gem, which is extremely eye-catching. It is said that it is the tallest skyscraper in the world except Chicago and new york.
I.M. Pei's success lies in his "mastery of Chinese and Western cultures", his profound understanding of the essence of Chinese and Western cultures, and his natural ability to perfectly combine Chinese and foreign architectural arts with his own specialties, thus creating masterpieces that westerners can hardly surpass.
1982, Xiangshan in the western suburbs of Beijing suddenly became very lively, and the Xiangshan Hotel designed by I.M. Pei was about to be delivered. At the handover ceremony, many Chinese and foreign distinguished guests attended, and at one time they were laughing and beaming.
A reporter from China, holding a recording microphone, crowded beside I.M. Pei in the crowd and asked loudly, "Mr. Bei, there are many important projects waiting for you to design all over the world. Why did you choose Xiangshan Hotel, a project with little investment? "
I.M. Pei pondered a little and slowly replied, "We have lived in China for generations, and I spent my most absorbed childhood here, so there is a kind of' China temperament' deeply left on me, which is hard to change anyway ..."
Yes, although Mr. Bei lived abroad for a long time, he always loved his motherland. Today, he speaks his hometown dialect very skillfully. Under the cultivation of Mr. Bei, several children's Chinese literacy is also good. Serving the motherland is his deep-rooted desire since childhood! 1978, when he accepted the design task of Beijing Xiangshan Hotel, he could not help but say excitedly, "My motherland has not forgotten me for more than 40 years ..."
In the past few years, I.M. Pei has traveled back and forth between Beijing and new york, visited Suzhou and Yangzhou many times, worked directly for the design, material selection and construction of the hotel, and sent the most capable assistant to Beijing to take charge of specific construction affairs. Assistants often go in and out of the construction site and constantly send progress photos back to new york, so that I.M. Pei can find and solve existing problems in time. I'm Pei once lamented: "I have designed many buildings, and I didn't find Xiangshan Hotel so challenging. My efforts are 10 times higher than those of some foreign buildings. "
For the first time in Pei's architectural career, the design of Xiangshan Hotel is not based on reinforced concrete glass, and the materials used are traditional bricks and tiles. In the design of the whole hotel, the principle of high harmony and unity between the beauty of natural environment and the beauty of architectural art has always been implemented. I.M. Pei won the annual award of American Institute of Architects for this design.
Xiangshan Hotel covers an area of 30,000 square meters, with the highest four floors. After the completion, at first glance, it is unremarkable. There are five white walls and blue bricks, and the patchwork buildings are embedded in the ravine, which may make people feel a little strange. But if you follow the mountain and enter the hotel through a cave door, you will immediately enter a fascinating world.
There is a main courtyard in the hotel. There is an artificial lake of 14 square meters in the park, and two 800-year-old ginkgo trees stand on both sides of the lake. In addition to the main courtyard, there are 1 1 small courtyard such as "ancient trees and cool breeze", "clear clouds reflecting the sun" and "crown clouds and shadows". Walking in this quadrangle surrounded by mountains and rivers is really a feeling of walking in a painting.
Five buildings are randomly connected by mountains, just like five pearls embedded in red leaves. The facilities in the guest room are modern and world-class, but the style of the guest room is Chinese. It is not only elegant and comfortable, but also adopts the traditional windows in China. Whenever a guest rolls up the bamboo curtain, the mountain is near the tree and the breeze is blowing on his face. From which window, there is a landscape painting and an idyllic poem outside. This modern hotel with 322 rooms and 500 beds can be said to be a masterpiece of China's classical garden art, which shows the aesthetic effect of "there is a garden in the garden and a view in the landscape". The design of Xiangshan Hotel is the most precious gift from I.M. Pei, an overseas son.
In recent years, I.M. Pei has visited the motherland which is undergoing great changes many times. Concerned about the modernization of the motherland, he applied to become a member of the Beijing Urban Construction Planning Committee. I.M. Pei also used the 654.38+ Wanplitzker Architecture Award he won in 1983 to set up a scholarship fund to help China architects, scholars and students study, give lectures and visit in the United States, and absorb the beneficial architectural technology and experience from the United States.
I.M. Pei can stand out from the fierce competition of American architecture. In addition to his outstanding talent, he also relies on his gentleness, honesty, modesty, hard work, enthusiasm and frankness. From 65438 to 0948, William Seckendorf invited I.M. Pei to work in his development company. At that time, most architects disdained to cooperate with developers, and I.M. Pei readily accepted it. They have cooperated successfully for 12 years, and there has never been any disagreement.
Americans who are familiar with I.M. Pei call him "a real gentleman in China", and his manners and temperament have won many customers, enabling him to get rich quickly. During 1964, Jacqueline, the wife of former US President Kennedy, planned to build a Kennedy Memorial Library in Boston. Architects who enjoy a high reputation in the United States have applied one after another, and I.M. Pei is the youngest among the competitors. Jacqueline is very picky about the candidates, and requires architects to have elegant aesthetic taste and good personal cultivation, and personally visit each applicant. When Jacqueline walked into the aisle of I.M. Pei's office, the first thing she saw was a large bottle of blooming flowers on the table, which was particularly bright and bright under the light. The simple furnishings of the office and the elegant demeanor of the host gave the rich female client a sense of tranquility and credibility, so she made a decision on the spot. 15 years later, on the coast of Boston suburb, an elegant and unique library, such as Sunrise Ridge, attracted worldwide attention.
I.m. Pei's appearance is not as outstanding as his architecture, and it is very ordinary. However, this ordinary oriental old man has a special demeanor and charm: Founder wears a pair of round black-rimmed glasses on his face, giving people a feeling of being mature and steady; Through the lens, you can see those peaceful eyes, and his expression reveals a trace of leisure and confidence in his careful and decent behavior. He gives the impression that he is a humble winner. It is this image that makes all Chinese in the United States feel glorious, and every China compatriot will pay sincere respect to him when he sees him.