The Changing Rural Habitat: Two Short Films (1)

40-years ago, the Aga Khan visited China and delivered the opening remarks of the international conference “The Changing Rural Habitat” co-sponsored by the Architectural Society of China with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In the spirit of continuing the dialogue of the 1981 conference through case studies, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University with support of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has produced two films commemorating the first generation of projects officially recognized by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in China.

The films aim at facilitating recognition and understanding of the projects, particularly through exploring approaches for improving living conditions of rural peoples and examining their capacity to create productive and meaningful exchanges which are attuned to the particular problems of their uniquely imagined rural habitats.

Film 1
Longshang Museum of Handicraft paper: Celebrating a Way of Life

Architecture plays a vital role in protection and promotion of handcraft heritage and establishes new frontiers for the continuation of traditional technologies. The films reveals the inner-workings of a process of localization in the conception and realization of the Longshang Paper Museum (2013 shortlist) through interviews with the architect, construction team, museum director, and residents of the village community.

Director: Professor G.D. Jayalakshmi

Featuring: Hua Li, Trace Architecture Office – Beijing

Click here for the second part.