When President Richard Nixon visited the People’s Republic of China in 1972, he could not have imagined the extent to which this historic trip would reshape the relationship between the United States and China, opening the door for the mobility of people and the exchange of goods, ideas, capital, and knowledge, and leading to tremendous changes in Chinese society, economy, and culture. Cole Roskam’s new book, Designing Reform: Architecture in the People’s Republic of China, 1970–1992, is a timely contribution, helping us grasp how the shift in Sino–U.S. relations facilitated architectural engagement between the two countries and reshaped architectural production in China during this period. Roskam’s purpose is to affirm architecture as a physical and visible embodiment of reform interventions in Chinese politics, culture, and professional institutions. For him, architecture in this historic period constitutes a landscape of transformations. This perspective counters the stereotype that condemns Chinese architectural production...

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