He Jingtang, renowned architect, introduces Guangzhou style architecture in front of the Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall, a venue for the forum. [Photo by Cao Yingying/China Daily]

Architecture

In addition to Guangzhou craftworks, there are many Guangzhou-style buildings in the city.

He Jingtang, 79-year-old, is a renowned architect and professor at the South China University of Technology's school of architecture. He still works on the front line of architectural design and planning.

He has designed many impressive buildings and inherited the tradition of the Lingnan region's academic spirit of pragmatic innovation.

His representative works include the China pavilion at 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the West Tower of Zhujiang New Town, the wrestling arena for the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, Tianjin Museum and Qian Xuesen Library in Shanghai.

In 2016, He set up his studio in the South China University of Technology. It also functions as a modern architecture design and research center, and a popular science base for the architectural society of China.

Commenting on the city's many impressive buildings, he said: "With the deepening of reform and opening-up, we are gradually exploring our own specific approaches to architectural design, which are open and innovative. I insist on a development style that combines design, teaching and research."

Numerous architectural practices have enabled He to evolve his own architectural theory, which he calls Two Concepts and Three Features. These focus on the concepts of holism and sustainability, as well as the harmonious integration of regional, cultural and contemporary features.

His studio has not only achieved many accomplishments in scientific research and design, but also a large number of innovative experts in architecture.

The studio has more than 50 doctoral students and 100 postgraduates. Some of them have won architectural awards and become influential in the Chinese architecture industry.