Liu Fanglei, an outstanding alumnus of Tianjin University, was appointed as the chief designer for the renovation project of the main venues for the ninth “BRICS” Summit held in Amoy, China from September 3 to 5, 2017. This brilliant architect along with his team fully and profoundly expressed in the architectural structure the uniqueness of the Chinese language and culture.

"It is the richness of Chinese culture that must be embodied and expressed in our buildings”, said Liu Fanglei. The renovation project mainly focused on the canopy. With the concept of "flying the feather, floating the feather", Liu and his team members intended to immerse the “BRICKS” design with Chinese elements.

The concept of Liu’s design originated from this coastal city’s scenery: the city tree of Amoy and the ocean. The Fenghuang flower, which refers to the “phoenix flower” shaped like a lavish crown, has an auspicious meaning in China, while the rebirth of the phoenix is a symbol of Chinese cultural revival. The ocean represents the maritime silk road and its related cultural circles in south-east of China. Since both Silk and ocean waves give the sense of elegance, Liu combined these elements along with the beauty of Phoenix flower, and combined these ideas into his design.

Liu studied in the Department of Architecture at Tianjin University from 1989 to 1994. Since the early years, he has had a profound penchant for ancient Chinese architecture. Now, as the deputy chief designer in Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co. Ltd, Liu is famous for his contribution in designing the venues for the APEC summit in 2014 and 2016, the G20 summit, and Belt and Road International Cooperation BBS.

 Editors: Yin Shiyu and Ross Colquhoun