Lin Huiyin
| Phyllis Lin | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 10 June 1904 Hangzhou, Qing Dynasty |
| Died | 1 April 1955 (aged 50) Tongren Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| Cause of death | Tuberculosis |
| Resting place | Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | architect, poet |
| Influenced by | Wen Yiduo, Liang Shih-chiu, Liang Sicheng, Shen Congwen, Jin Yuelin |
| Spouse | Liang Sicheng, married on 21 March 1928, widowed on 1 April 1955 (27 years, 11 days) |
| Children | Liang Congjie Liang Zaibing |
| Parents | Lin Changmin He Xuehuan |
| Relatives | Lin Xiaoxun (林孝恂) (died 1914) (paternal grandfather) Lady You (遊氏) (paternal grandmother) Liang Qichao (father-in-law) |
Lin Huiyin (Chinese: 林徽因, born 林徽音; pinyin: Lín Huíyīn; known as Phyllis Lin or Lin Whei-yin when in the United States; 10 June 1904 – 1 April 1955) was a noted 20th century Chinese architect and writer. She is said to be the first female architect in China. Her niece is Maya Lin.[1]
[edit] Biography
Lin was born in Hangzhou though her family was from Minhou, Fujian. She was the daughter of Lin Changmin (林長民) (16 September 1876 - Xinmin, Liaoning, 24 December 1925) and He Xuehuan (何雪媛) (1882–1972). Raised in a wealthy family, she received the best education a woman could obtain at the time. She pursued her degrees both in England and the United States. She attended St Mary's College in London, where she became acquainted with the well known Chinese poet Xu Zhimo. Their relationship is commonly referred to in a romantic anecdote. However, according to Lin, she had never fallen in love with Xu.
In April 1924, the sixty-four-year old Indian poet Tagore visited China, Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo worked together to do the interpretation work for Tagore, during which Lin Huiyin distinguished herself with her fluent English and also won the admiration of the great poet.[2]
Lin studied art at University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate, where she also worked as a part-time assistant in the architectural department. Later, she enrolled in stage design programs in Yale University as a graduate student, pursuing her longtime interest in drama.[1]
Upon her return to China from the United States, she helped to establish the Architectural Department in Northeastern University in Shenyang, where she then taught architecture briefly. Meanwhile, in 1928, she designed a railway station in Jilin. This was one of the few buildings Lin designed.
Throughout the 1930s, Lin and her husband, Liang Sicheng, traveled in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Hebei, Jiangsu, and other Chinese provinces to study and record architectural relics scattered throughout these provinces. In 1937, She discovered the main hall of Foguang Temple near Doucun, Shanxi. The hall was the only remaining Tang dynasty timber structure known at the time.
In 1936, in order to do the measurement work of the Chinese ancient architecture, Lin Huiyin together with Liang Sicheng climbed the quiet solemn roof of the Temple of Heaven. She is considered as the first woman in the history of China to set foot on the emperor worship palace roof.
After 1949, Lin and Liang Siceng was involved in the design of the National Emblem of the People's Republic of China and the Monument to the People's Heroes located in the Tiananmen Square. Lin designed the floral wreath patterns at the base of the Monument to the People's Heroes.
Lin Huiyin wrote poems, essays, short stories and plays. Many of her works were praised for its subtlety, beauty, and creativity. With her husband she wrote a book named History of Chinese architecture.[3] She also translated English works into Chinese.
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Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, Zhou Peiyuan and others
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Peter G. Rowe, Seng Kuan, Architectural Encounters With Essence and Form in Modern China, MIT Press, 2002, p.219, ISBN 026268151X
- ^ http://www.china.com.cn/book/txt/2009-03/26/content_17502241.htm
- ^ Amy D. Dooling, Kristina M. Torgeson, Writing Women in Modern China: An Anthology of Women's Literature from the Early Twentieth Century, Columbia University Press, 1998, p.301, ISBN 0231107013
[edit] Furthur Readings
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lin Huiyin |
- Fairbank, Wilma. Liang and Lin: Partners in Exploring China's Architectural Past. University of Pennsylvania Press. 1994. ISBN 081223278X
- Wong, Sidney (黄振翔). "Lin Huiyin (林徽因) and Liang Sicheng (梁思成) as Architectural Students at the University of Pennsylvania (1924-27)" Planning and Development Volume 23, No. 1, page 75-93, 2008.
