You can't open a newspaper these days without the face of ultra-trendy Beijing developers Zhang Xin or her husband and partner Pan Shiyi smiling out at you.
They have both their vociferous critics and staunch fans, but whichever side of the fence you fall on, it is undeniable that their SOHO home-office model and their daring approach to architecture has made a major impact on Beijing?s luxury housing market and on lifestyles in the city.
'Experiment is the character of China today - from the economic system to the political system to the way of living, the way of doing business, everything is happening for the first time,' says Zhang Xin, a Beijing native who grew up in Hong Kong and London.
She has a master's degree in development economics from Cambridge and has worked for Goldman Sachs and Travelers Group, while he was one of the first private-sector property developers working in China. A match made in real-estate heaven.
SOHO stands for Small Office, Home Office and it has introduced to Beijing the notion of work and living areas existing in harmony.
Ms Zhang is a busy woman. She and Mr Pan built SOHO New Town in 1998, a colourful, mould-breaking development, and recently completed Jianwai SOHO, which is like a self-contained city in the heart of the central business district.
