A commercial block that changed China

In 1998, Shanghai was not like it is today. Ben Wood, an American architect, came to China for the first time, took on a project that not only changed his career but also changed China.

Before there was no "public space" in China, all of the squares are only used for government sponsored events. Ben took what was an old neighbourhood, found ways to keep its original structure, and created a place where people can live and be themselves. In this fast growing age of China, cities are losing their unique identities. Skyscrapers, glass, steel, concrete, they all look the same. Wood thinks it doesn’t have to be that way. Cities could preserve their very own identities whilst remaining competitive in today’s commercial world. Wood is an American architect who designed Shanghai’s Xintiandi and Foshan’s Lingnan Tiandi, among other famous projects in China and around the world.