China's Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 | Interview with Curator Ma Yansong

Theme and Concept of the China Pavilion

• 💡 The China Pavilion's central theme is "Co-exist," showcasing 10 projects from diverse teams including architects, students, scholars, scientists, and a social media platform.
• 💬 The exhibition actively involves the public by collecting video proposals from citizens about their ideal city spaces, which respond to an architect's virtual city composed of wasted models.
• 🌱 A core question explored is how nature can coexist in future architecture, emphasizing the combination of different values, concepts, past, future, nature, and artificial elements.

Integrating Tradition, Nature, and Future

• 📜 The pavilion aims to link tradition and the future, inviting young designers to reinvent new concepts inspired by historical heritage like Dunhuang.
• 🌳 It explores how nature becomes spiritual and emotional in architecture and city planning, contrasting with modern architecture's focus on technology over emotional connection.
• 🧠 The discussion centers on the idea that a future "intelligent world" should prioritize human nature and emotion, not just technology.

Addressing Chinese Urban Challenges

• 🎯 Visitors are intended to gain insight into Chinese urban challenges and the diverse, sometimes bold, architectural responses from the participating teams.
• 🌍 The exhibition reflects China's vast diversity—geographical, cultural, and climatic—and the rapid development experienced over the last three to four decades.
• 🔍 It showcases observations about the phenomenon of linking tradition to nature in future city development.

Curatorial Approach and Collaboration

• 🤝 The curatorial process involved an open call to highlight young, diverse voices, with selected teams pairing with other professionals like scientists and researchers.
• 💡 This collaborative approach fostered workshops and conversations, aiming for the pavilion to be a process of discussion and issue identification.

The Role of the Biennale

• 🚀 The curator believes biennials like Venice should primarily be about sharing and debating ideas, rather than just displaying physical buildings.
• 🗣️ They should clarify a "vision for the future" and encourage conversations and debates among different perspectives and groups.