Page 63 - Varsity Special Issue

People / 61

Preserving

the Past

Architect Shu Tan shares his design philosophy and his

life in Dali and Hong Kong.

By Coco Zhang in Shaanxi

hu Tan has not seen his family for Shu met his wife in Dali in 2010 born in this Bai community in 1980.
ten months. The 40-year-old in- after he went back from Germany. “My designs are rooted in minority
Sdependent architect’s life is split Seeking more personally satisfying cultures… Dali helps me turn my idea
in half by the coronavirus pandemic, work, his wife went to Hong Kong to into reality,” Shu says. “Dali has land
leaving him unable to travel from Dali be the director of Tanoto Center for with potential for development, un-
to Hong Kong, where his wife and two Asian Family Business and Entrepre- like Hong Kong where there are more
daughters are living now. neurship Studies at The Hong Kong restrictions,” he adds.
University of Science and Technology.
Travel Between Dali and Hong “We choose the way we like, and we
Kong are happy,” Shu says.
The German-educated architect Shu went to Dali to pursue a career
spends most of his time in Dali, a Bai he loves. “Dali is a warm harbour full
autonomous prefecture in Yunnan, of inspirations,” says Shu, who was
China, to conserve traditional style “
dwelling, and flies back to Hong Kong
every other week to visit his family. The folk dwellings
“I always catch a red-eye flight
back home so that I can use my time are not only about
efficiently. When my daughters wake
up in the morning, I’m on their sides,” houses but also
Shu says. He has two daughters. His
six-year-old daughter is a primary thousands of years
school pupil, and the youngest girl is
one year old. of Hani culture and
He drives his daughter to school,
plays with the two, and spends quality wisdom of skillful
Shu
T
an uses film camera to capture
time with his family. “I’m just an ordi- Shu Tan uses film camera to capture ng
n si
te in Ho
o
images at the c
nstructi
o
images at the construction site in Hong
nary father when I am back in Hong craftsmen. He, Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of
f
rtesy o
ou
unnan Pro
He, Y
vince. (Photo c
Kong,” Shu says. ” Shu Tan)
Shu
an)
T