From Shanghai to Pécs

Chen Quingchang with József Bódis, rector of the University of Pécs / Photo: Szabolcs Csortos, UnivPécs

What is the secret of the UP Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology that  attracted you  from Shanghai to Pécs?

I  got in contact with the UP through the Hungarian consulate in Shanghai. I also met Gabriella Medvegy (vice dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology – the ed.) and we started a conversation about the cooperation concerning the exchange of Hungarian and Chinese students. There is an extremely  great  interest in  architecture and engineering education in China, which can’t  always be satisfied. The success of the education in Pécs is proved  for instance by the fact that a Chinese student, who graduated  from the UP last year got  a very good job in Shanghai . We have common interest, thus we continue to  work along that.

You arrived here from a city of an absolutely different size ...How do you see the city of Pécs? What did spark your interest as a Chinese architect?

I have visited Pécs for the second time now: firstly I was here 2 years ago. I was impressed with the peace of the city: its pace  is not as fast as the tempo of Shanghai: here I wake up to  the church bells  and not  to  the noise of the city or the telephone ringing like at home. Of course, the density of population in Shahnghai can’t be compared with the one in Pécs, however, this city is a great example for  stylish construction, together with the fact that  the heavily populated parts of the city could also preserve their character.

Pécs was the European Capital of Culture, while Shanghai was called the Paris of the East. What did you find culturally attractive in our city?

Pécs can  nicely  exemplify,  the way to create very good buildings in a close merger with other art forms.. The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter clearly shows this: we also have a tradition of porcelain, however, in Pécs this historical heritage  succeeded  architecturally, as well. Out of this  a completely unique part of the city was born.

You emphasized the importance of the urban design in your honorary doctorate inaugural speech. Are there any parallels between Shanghai and Pécs in this field?

I am the leader of the department of urban planning. There are lots of problems, which can be solved only with urban design and these are independent from the size –   by which I mean the social city-rehabilitation in Pécs. Where there is poverty, there you must deal with it. There are 100-year-old houses and historic buildings everywhere...I researched the housing conditions of poor people in my doctoral dissertation.

Could you mention a concrete example for this?

It is  quite frequent in Sanghai, too, that the poor families live in the inner city, where the property prices get  higher year after year. One square meter in a very good location is sold  for 10.000 EUR. However, nobody can be forced to move out, while they don’t have money to renovate the house, which-  let it say - has a negative impact on the cityscape, too. In Shanghai it is not uncommon that 4 generations live together in one single house or flat: they can’t afford to buy a new one, while they don’t want to give up on the old one. We have to fight with  situations like this daily, and as far as I know, the situation is very similar in Pécs, too.

Photo: Szabolcs Csortos, UnivPécs

How do you solve a problem like this in China?

The renovation of the social housing flats can be a solution  of this problem. However, we can’t do this  endlessly: we can’t afford that the people living there misuse this approach. However, there are some houses, which practically can’t be saved, because e.g. they don’t have an acceptable  base or there is  wooden floor in them, which means it is not possible to install  a water block in them. These houses  should be pulled  down sooner or later, although  some of them have already got a historic value. It is not a solution, either, that an old building is replaced with a skyscraper with no  style.  It is a very difficult situation and there are no generally proposed solutions, you can concentrate on  one particular  situation at a time.  Fortunately,  in China there is a possibility to win ministerial funds for  urban development researches. Shanghai has a mixed architecture because of its history: you can discover the east and the west in it at the same time. The row houses of the British working class and the detached house architecture of South-China have existed at the same time. There was also  a quarter in the inner city where 9 families live  next to one another  on 200 m² – this one has  already been demolished;   it was rehabilitated by American  construction companies: commercial and shopping centers have been built here. The experience of the West and the historic speciality  met here.

It is also an interesting problem that  no more than  2,5 million cars can be used at a  time in Sanghai, thus lots of people choose an alternative way of transport. Electric bikes cause a problem, too, because they should be used in the same lane  as  the traditional ones, while they practically travel  with the speed of a car.

Would you share with me, what  your favourite research topic is?

In my diploma thesis I researched the problem of the housing of needy people  and I am still exploring this area. Anyone can solve the problem of a frontage, but this is a much more important question. I also searched for an answer to  this question in my doctoral dissertation. Every single building should be examined, whether it can be transformed or not. It is cheaper to build a new one, but we should preserve the old image of Shanghai, too.

Sorry for remarking it, but you are impertinently young, may I ask how old are you?

As an architect I can say that it is not the age that is  most important  even in the case of  a building, but fitting into the overall picture is what counts. I am 39 years old and by  us advancement doesn’t depend on our age, but on our performance.

Éva Harka, UnivPécs, translated by Vivien Németh