Shanghai-born Shi Wenchian is helping to mould the face of modern China. As senior architect, she manages three groundbreaking mainland architecture projects for MVRDV, a Rotterdam-based design firm that recently won accolades from The New York Times for 'taking social engineering to a new level' and its 'radical, research-driven methodology.' Shi arrived at MVRDV with a Shanghai University bachelor of architecture degree and a master's from the Delft University of Technology.
'I came to the Netherlands by chance,' says Shi. 'I wanted to study in Europe but Britain was too expensive and the Netherlands is one of the few places on the continent that has English language courses.'
Shi shared her graduate school class with students from 13 other countries and fell in love with the diversity of her new home.
'There are 170 different nationalities in Holland and I like that,' she says. 'The coffee shops [where smoking marijuana is tolerated] and the red light district [where prostitutes have pensions and police protection] are good examples of the country's openness. My hope is that China will become more like Europe, with more individual zones that have their own character, united by a single Chinese culture.'
Among those Shi manages from her desk in MVRDV's converted printing plant is the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area project. Working in Europe has taught her many things, including an increased awareness of her own culture. 'I know many Asians here,' she says. 'I found we have a lot in common, our languages are connected, our cultures are connected, in the same way as they are among European countries.'
Shi is an only child. 'That's something I regret, being here,' she says. 'My parents don't have any other children to keep them company, but they have been here and they like it, they found Holland very romantic and classic, although I didn't take them to a coffee shop.'