Commingling Of Culture Subjectivity And Architecture Autonomy In Modern And Contemporary Architectural Practice In Taiwan

In the dissemination of modern architecture to the non-European countries, concepts of local individual architects and local social circumstances transform and reinterpret modern architecture’s core ideas. As a complex that involves multiple cultural aspects, architecture accepts influences from traditional construction culture, thinking and knowing structure, aesthetic standards, social ideal, folk customs and local social space. Architects will consciously or unconsciously apply these relevant concerns into their architectural practice as members of local culture.Works of Wang Dahong, Li Zuyuan, Yao Renxi and Huang Shengyuan, four Taiwanese architects who have perfect modern architecture background, well reflect the above propositions: with original principles in both form and space design, they show strong collision and fusion between local culture and modern architecture that represent distinctively due to the architects’ different cultural background and mental tendencies. Wang Dahong’s works indicate deep expression of traditional construction philosophy and limited in the inheritance of western modern construction. Li Zuyuan attempts to reorganize modern architectural forms with ideas rooted in folk culture, but insists the organization of modern spaces. Yao Renxi modifies modern architecture both in spaces and forms in the pursuit of a harmonious relationship as in traditional literati aesthetics. Huang Shengyuan overthrows the whole fundamental concepts in modernism by firm returns to local forms, Chinese thinking structure and social concepts.Chinese and western culture own great distinctions in their traditional literature and art. The subjectivity of Chinese culture in thinking structure, aesthetic concept and social ideal will inevitably remold modern architecture especially when it fails courting Chinese thinking, psychology and aesthetic judgment.