“When we started out, we were among the first. Beijing had no and Shanghai had very few large buildings. At that time, it was all about building, building, building - and then selling, selling, selling. We were working like a manufacturer. Soon, however, we realized that land was running out in Beijing and Shanghai. So we started keeping our buildings, and managing and renting them out. We became landowners. That was the second act.” FirstsRunningLandBuildingSellingBeijingShanghai Author:Zhang Xin
“We have become so quick and effective in building things today. It would be easy to build another Pyramid of Giza or another Great Wall. But these buildings haven't withstood the test of time because of their building quality. They stand tall because they have a symbolic value, they represent a culture.” Would BeTodayValuesCultureEasyQualityHavensBuildingWallTestsTallSymbolicPyramidsTest Of TimeGreat WallBuilding Things Author:Zhang Xin
“I'm afraid what we are building today will not have the same impact and sustainability of the architecture of a 100, 500 or 1,000 years ago. The buildings of those days were miracles. We don't perform such miracles today. So we should be a little more modest. For my part, I'll be glad to show one of my buildings one day to my grandchildren and say: I'm proud of that.” ShouldYearsLittlesShowsTodayBuildingProudOne DayYears AgoMiracleImpactArchitectureGladSustainabilityModestGrandchildrenMy Grandchildren Author:Zhang Xin