I.M. PEI

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I.M. Pei has been called the most important living modern architect, defining the landscapes of some of the world's greatest cities. A monumental figure in his field and a laureate of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, Pei is the senior statesman of modernism and last surviving link to such great early architects as Le Corbusier, Gropius, and Mies van der Rohe.

Entering into the twilight of his career and well into his eighties when the project began, Pei returns to his ancestral home of Suzhou, China to work on his most personal project to date. He is commissioned to build a modern museum in the city's oldest neighborhood which is populated by classical structures from the Ming and Qing dynasties. For the architect who placed the pyramid at the Louvre, the test to integrate the new with the old is familiar but still difficult. The enormous task is to help advance China architecturally without compromising its heritage. In the end, what began as his greatest challenge and a labor of sentiment, says Pei, ultimately becomes 'my biography.'

'An exceptional presentation of Pei's work in his hometown in China, full of poignant insights into contemporarily pressing issues regarding the preservation of local architectural culture in the face of universal modernization. The film is also an inspiring story regarding I.M. Pei, one of the truly good people in the business of architecture, a modest man who has had enormous impact on the evolution of modern architecture at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. The film tells a compelling story and imparts important lessons in a direct and yet easy manner that is all Pei's own. I found the film interesting, pertinent, and highly instructive. It has great educational potential, as well a strong general interest, as this combines a personal story and public message that deserves to be disseminated to the widest possible audience.' Robert McCarter, practicing architect, Professor of Architecture, Washington University in St. Louis, author, Louis I. Kahn and On and By Frank Lloyd Wright: A Primer of Architectural Principles

'This film is an accurate and poignant portrayal of I.M. Pei, one of America's greatest living architects. In documenting the development of one of Pei's last projects, the Suchow Museum in China, the film conveys the depth and refinement of Pei's architectural mission, developed over the past 70 years. Respecting the logic and beauty of structure, Pei uses this fundamental architectural component to shape the heroic spaces and places of each particular project. His extraordinary attention to the project's overall design concept as well as its delineation, has been a hallmark of his distinguished career, and represents a clear philosophical position on what it means to build thoughtfully in today's global culture.' Karen Van Lengen FAIA, Kenan Professor of Architecture, University of Virginia

'I.M. Pei: Building China Modern presents a story of master Pei integrating his architectural vision for a museum in his hometown in Shouzo, China. With the ideals and heritage of the people in mind he is able to define a small and significant act of true progress for the city. This film is concise and poignant in it's brief following of Pei's major late work. The film reveals Pei's achievement to influence new societies amidst a physical presence and history of dominating and imposed form.' Larry Santoyo, Director and Senior Planner, EarthFlow Design Works - a Permaculture Design Co

'I.M. Pei: Building Modern China is an in-depth look at I.M. Pei's return to his home city of Suzhou, seeking to define a new architecture for China in the design of the Suzhou Museum. Students and educators will be intrigued by the master modernist's discussion of his design process and execution, public opinion, and the unique challenges of adapting traditional styles into a modern architectural language. Especially fascinating is how Pei created modern counterpoint for the traditional rock gardens of Suzhou. This well crafted film is a wonderful case study of how to both define and enliven a place by unifying the past and present gracefully in architecture.' Melanie Clark, Librarian, Architecture Library, Texas Tech University

'This film describes I. M. Pei's emotional journey to Suzhou, his birthplace, which is shown in revealing vignettes. The filmmakers present sympathetically his creation of a museum there that is at once authentically Chinese and yet modern. An enlightening section about his new way of 'painting with rocks' will make especially clear his thoughtful way of trying to bridge the traditions.' Carol Krinsky, Professor of Art History, Director of Undergraduate Studies, New York University

'A moving and intimate portrayal of I.M. Pei's lifelong quest to define modern architecture that is true to its cultural roots. Building China Modern follows I.M. Pei's eight year journey and his challenges to define Chinese modern architecture in the Suzhou Museum--to make it, in his Chinese words, 'Su he xin,' meaning 'Suzhou yet new.'' Shirley Young, Governor and founding member, Committee of 100

'Thoroughly engaging and informative...Pei--wonderfully modest, suave, and charming but still forceful at 90--guides us expertly in perfect English and Chinese...This film is highly recommended for all libraries.' Library Journal

'Striving to balance architectural advancement with respect for the grandeur of China's heritage, Pei works on his most challenging--and most personal--task yet...Highly recommended.' The Midwest Book Review

'Its real subject is the rapid change sweeping China and the tensions between modernity concomitant with change...The filmmakers could not have found a better subject than Pei through which to tell this story of how one reconciles such tensions...[The film is] a loving tribute to a second-generation modernist.' Sharon McHugh, World Architecture News

'The film imparts a strong sense of both a person and a place, increasing the viewer's understanding of each...Very useful in courses concentrating on Pei or Asian architecture. It would also be of value in Asian Studies courses looking at the transition from traditional society to the modern world.' Sandy River, Texas Tech University, Educational Media Reviews Online

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Main credits

Shirley, Eugene B. (film producer)
Makepeace, Anne (film director)
Makepeace, Anne (screenwriter)
Funck, Brian (screenwriter)
Pei, I. M. (interviewee)
Jencks, Charles (interviewee)
Cobb, John B. (interviewee)

Other credits

Director of photography, George Adams; edited by Brian Funck; music composed by Huang Ruo.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

architect, Suzhou, China, modern museum, modern Chinese architecture, modern architecture, Pritzker Architecture Prize, Corbusier, Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, landscape gardens, pyramid, Ming dynasty, Qing dynasty, Louvre, Harvard Graduate School of Design, integrating modernity and tradition, Bank of China, Hong Kong, tile roofs, rock farming, Charles Jencks, John J. Cobb, James Watt,"I.M. PEI",Bullfrog Films

WEBVTT

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[uplifting instrumental music]

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male announcer: Shumei and its
flagship cultural institution,

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the Miho Museum in Japan,

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are proud to be part
of I.M. Pei\'s legacy

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and a proud sponsor of I.M. Pei:
Building China Modern,

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for public television.

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American Masters and this
program are made possible

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by the support of the
National Endowment for the Arts,

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because a great nation deserves
great art.

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And by the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting.

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Additional funding for
American Masters provided by:

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And the following:

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Additional funding for I.M. Pei:
Building China Modern

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provided by Kimball Chen,
Alice King, and the following.

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And by contributions to your PBS
station from viewers like you.

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Thank you.

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- A museum is an important
building in a city.

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The Louvre actually is,
probably, I think,

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the number one monument
of France.

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I think it\'s more important than
the Eiffel Tower.

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[chuckles]

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And so if you touch it,

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all you have to do
is do something to it...

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Somebody\'s going to tell you,

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\"You\'re wrong.
Don\'t touch it.\"

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That\'s... that\'s normal.

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If I were French,
I would feel the same way.

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When I first showed the idea
to the public,

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I would say 90% were against it.

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I\'m not exaggerating.

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No, I would say

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the first year and a half
were really hell.

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I really couldn\'t walk

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the streets of Paris without
people walking

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and look at me as if to say,

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\"There you go again.
What are you doing here?

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\"What are you doing to us?

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What are you doing
to our great Louvre?\"

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But to respect tradition,

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you also have to think about
the need for change.

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And Louvre had to change;
there\'s no question about it.

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But how to make that change?

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How to make history live
and, in the same time,

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point the way to the future?

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I don\'t know.
I\'m trying.

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The French weren\'t that ready
for change at that time.

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It took a while
before they calmed down.

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And I have critics right now
already in China,

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but I know that
China is ready for change.

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[Chinese-influenced
music playing]

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I know China better
than I knew France.

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And China is entering into
the modern world.

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And they think,
rightly or wrongly,

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that I can make a contribution.

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So I\'m back.

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Chinese architecture

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really doesn\'t have
a sense of direction.

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Since Ming Dynasty,

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there really hasn\'t been
anything that one can say,

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\"This is the renaissance
of Chinese architecture,\"

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none.

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An interruption of 500 years,
that\'s serious.

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And there lies the challenge.

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Not so sure I can succeed,

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but someone has to begin.

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I take it very seriously.

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I was born in this country.

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I was educated in this country.

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My family was
in Suzhou 600 years.

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So I have attachment to it.

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So when they came

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to ask me to design a museum
for them in Suzhou,

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I found it difficult to resist.

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But what a difference between
French architecture

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and the Chinese.

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[birds calling]

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Suzhou is surrounded by water.

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Water is everywhere.

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It\'s a very poetic place.

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But most important,

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I think when you look at Suzhou,
you have to think of Suzhou

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as a city that
is 2,500 years old,

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built of wood

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and built of tile and brick.

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So this is a small-scale city.

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It is a human-scale city.

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And it is a city for life,
for people living there.

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And as such,

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I think the museum has to
reflect this tradition.

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And at the same time,
one has to think about...

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change.

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Suzhou cannot remain

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like this forever.

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It has to have a chance

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to renew itself,
to become modern.

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- [speaking Chinese]

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- [speaking Chinese]

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- At this stage of my life,

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I really don\'t need to
do anymore,

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because I have done enough
in my life.

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I feel that this is something
that I have to do.

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This I have to do.

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- And I think

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a modern art museum
is the right contribution.

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The question of course is,

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is it right for Suzhou?

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- [speaking Chinese]

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- The search for

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an expression
of Chinese architecture

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is not easily undertaken
by anyone.

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And least of all by myself

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because I lived 70 years
of my life in United States.

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I\'m a foreigner here.

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So it is not easy.

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This is more than
a technical problem.

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It\'s not how to structure it.

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No, no, no, it\'s more than that.

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It\'s a question of finding
the spirit of the place,

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the history of the place.

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I myself did something
in Hong Kong...

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A 72-story building which is,
I think, quite modern.

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But at the same time,

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it\'s Chinese in spirit.

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This building is like bamboo.

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You know, bamboo has knots.

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And for every knot that they
add on, the bamboo gets taller.

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Bank of China shoots up from
a very broad base

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and then eventually to something
which is much more slender.

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All the strength
of this building

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is on the skin...
It\'s on the outside.

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It\'s just like bamboo.
Bamboo is hollow inside.

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But the skin is what
gives it strength.

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So this building has

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the same kind of structural
reasoning behind it.

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This one is
very typically Hong Kong.

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But the building has
very sharp angles.

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And that is not feng shui.

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Hong Kong is a place

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where feng shui play
a very important part

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in people\'s life.

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And therefore they predicted

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that the building will
fail economically, in fact.

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But it\'s still here.
[chuckles]

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I was aware of it,

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but I made light of it.

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And, of course,
I suffered some severe criticism

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from this group of people.

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Oh, that\'s wonderful.
That\'s very nice.

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- Mr. Pei.

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- I remember you.

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Public opinion is very important
from the very beginning.

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You have to take the public in
from day one.

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But something has to change,
and it has to be right.

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And I\'m not going to try to...

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to follow the old.

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Because it would be wrong.

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- So you\'ve got the China bank,

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this late modern building
that twists as it goes up...

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Full of angles.

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And the Chinese say
this is bad feng shui.

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But Pei, ever the suave
diplomatic maneuverer,

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manages to convince them
that it\'s all right.

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And the building
works brilliantly.

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He learned that,
being an architect,

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you had to become
an advocate, a lawyer,

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and work with the local people
to push forward their tastes.

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And it\'s the same situation
for Pei in Suzhou.

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- I think the model
turned out all right.

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- Yes, I think so, nice.

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The architecture
we\'re trying to do here

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is to continue this

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gray-and-white color which
you see all over Suzhou.

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These trees
are pretty gray, huh?

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Looks like we\'re
part of the city.

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- They will like that.

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- In that sense,

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this building may look very much
like the rest of Suzhou.

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And yet, really, it isn\'t.
It\'s already changed.

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The new is inside.

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It\'s in space and in light.

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When they walk in, they say,

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\"Ah, this is something
very new.\"

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[man speaking English]

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- They are?

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- This is a group from Suzhou,

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members of the planning bureau
and the museum.

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And they are here
to meet with our team.

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So we are looking forward
and anxious to find out

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how they\'ll react to our design.

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[woman speaking Chinese]

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Nobody has seen anything,
so this will be

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a surprise to everybody.

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We hope that approval
can happen rather quickly.

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And hopefully the project
can go forward from this point.

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- This is the conceptual phase,

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so the question of course is
how quickly we can get approval.

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We still have to take on
two or three other steps.

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And I don\'t want any sort of
a slack in between.

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That\'s the only way I feel that
we can do this project.

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- Because if I can\'t see
the building

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to conclusion,
I don\'t want to do it.

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And I know my limits.

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- We were actually
moving forward,

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but there is one person
from the planning office

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who was a little bit
more conservative

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and wanted to remind us that we
didn\'t satisfy

00:15:49.667 --> 00:15:51.500
this height limit ordinance
or code.

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- We are finding that

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this project,
because of its prominence,

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and because of my father\'s...

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Actually, because of
his involvement,

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has prompted
the Chinese government,

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central government, to become
much more interested

00:16:17.900 --> 00:16:20.433
in what is going on here.

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- This is a current obstacle

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that we need to overcome
quickly, because backtracking

00:16:30.767 --> 00:16:32.432
is always a problem.

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But probably most importantly,

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we\'re trying to do the best
we can to maximize

00:16:37.267 --> 00:16:39.900
whatever time my father
has available remaining.

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- As it turned out,

00:17:06.033 --> 00:17:08.899
another question they raised
is the roof.

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Should we use tile roof?

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And, uh...
And we\'re using stone roof.

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I am severely criticized.

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They say \"Mr. Pei,

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\"I like your design, but I think
you make a big mistake.

00:17:22.767 --> 00:17:26.799
You should use tile roof.
This is a tradition in Suzhou.\"

00:17:26.800 --> 00:17:30.099
But I say, \"I\'m sorry,

00:17:30.100 --> 00:17:32.832
I don\'t know how to do
a building like that.\"

00:17:32.833 --> 00:17:35.366
The reason is because

00:17:35.367 --> 00:17:38.332
tile roof is so strong
a personality,

00:17:38.333 --> 00:17:44.599
it actually makes it impossible
for you to make form out of it,

00:17:44.600 --> 00:17:47.566
because the roof is
absolutely too dominant.

00:17:47.567 --> 00:17:52.432
So to take the roof away

00:17:52.433 --> 00:17:56.667
is the remove of a tyranny which
makes it possible to innovate.

00:17:59.167 --> 00:18:02.032
- I understand why Pei

00:18:02.033 --> 00:18:04.966
was worried about doing
tile roofs in Suzhou,

00:18:04.967 --> 00:18:08.032
because, first of all,
it would constrain him.

00:18:08.033 --> 00:18:11.499
It would make the roof very big
and heavy as it was in the past.

00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:14.499
And he wants to turn
the wall into a roof

00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:16.232
and then back into a wall
and then to a roof.

00:18:16.233 --> 00:18:17.566
He wants to play a game.

00:18:17.567 --> 00:18:19.766
It\'s very much a Pei trademark.

00:18:19.767 --> 00:18:23.899
The difficulty was that China
was changing very quickly,

00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:27.799
and the officials
were very conscious that Suzhou

00:18:27.800 --> 00:18:30.966
was the last great city.

00:18:30.967 --> 00:18:35.166
So they wanted to hold on
to every bit they could

00:18:35.167 --> 00:18:38.066
and mandated
in the heart of Suzhou

00:18:38.067 --> 00:18:40.599
traditional construction.

00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:42.099
But Pei said,

00:18:42.100 --> 00:18:43.866
\"I\'m not going to do that.\"

00:18:43.867 --> 00:18:45.999
And he convinces the officials

00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:48.732
that it\'s all right
not to do tiles.

00:18:48.733 --> 00:18:50.366
You know, Pei is a fighter.

00:18:50.367 --> 00:18:52.500
And he had to fight
with the Chinese too.

00:18:57.367 --> 00:18:59.899
- It really is awfully difficult

00:18:59.900 --> 00:19:01.832
for anybody from the outside

00:19:01.833 --> 00:19:05.299
to begin to understand how big
the controversy is

00:19:05.300 --> 00:19:11.699
with building such a major,
modern building

00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:13.933
right in the heart
of old Suzhou.

00:19:17.367 --> 00:19:21.732
- Suzhou is one of the most

00:19:21.733 --> 00:19:26.200
beautiful, desirable cities
in China.

00:19:28.667 --> 00:19:32.332
Dignitaries and highly respected
intellectuals

00:19:32.333 --> 00:19:36.700
would choose to live there
for hundreds of years.

00:19:39.833 --> 00:19:41.699
And I think as architect

00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:44.366
to have Suzhou in
Pei\'s childhood,

00:19:44.367 --> 00:19:47.632
that is definitely
very significant.

00:19:47.633 --> 00:19:51.999
- Suzhou was an extremely
important city,

00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.599
financially and culturally.

00:19:54.600 --> 00:19:56.366
By the 15th century,

00:19:56.367 --> 00:20:00.066
you have the artists,
the craftsmen,

00:20:00.067 --> 00:20:03.799
the jade carvers,
the metal workers...

00:20:03.800 --> 00:20:08.132
Everybody producing the most
refined works of art

00:20:08.133 --> 00:20:10.732
in all of China.

00:20:10.733 --> 00:20:13.566
I mean, it was
a tremendous concentration

00:20:13.567 --> 00:20:15.200
of wealth and learning.

00:20:18.967 --> 00:20:21.799
- Suzhou produced great
painters, great calligraphers,

00:20:21.800 --> 00:20:25.866
great writers.

00:20:25.867 --> 00:20:27.266
There\'s nothing like Suzhou.

00:20:27.267 --> 00:20:29.966
You say, \"What about Venice?\"
I say, \"Not Venice.\"

00:20:29.967 --> 00:20:34.266
\"What about Amsterdam?\"
I say, \"Not Amsterdam.\"

00:20:34.267 --> 00:20:37.299
There is no place like Suzhou.

00:20:37.300 --> 00:20:40.532
And when I left,

00:20:40.533 --> 00:20:45.467
I wasn\'t really that aware
of the place that I came from.

00:20:49.600 --> 00:20:53.399
- I.M. Pei left China
in the \'30s

00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.732
and arrived in America
as a student.

00:20:55.733 --> 00:20:57.566
He came out of Harvard,

00:20:57.567 --> 00:21:01.599
where he was taught
abstract modern architecture.

00:21:01.600 --> 00:21:04.366
Everything was impersonal,
heavy, concrete,

00:21:04.367 --> 00:21:08.799
monumental, alienating,
repetitive... deadly repetitive.

00:21:08.800 --> 00:21:11.132
It was boring boxes
for everywhere.

00:21:11.133 --> 00:21:13.332
No history, no style.

00:21:13.333 --> 00:21:15.966
So Pei was designing his thesis.

00:21:15.967 --> 00:21:17.432
It\'s your final project,

00:21:17.433 --> 00:21:20.299
and you can choose
the kind of commission you want.

00:21:20.300 --> 00:21:22.599
So your idealism
should come out.

00:21:22.600 --> 00:21:24.332
And he slightly rebelled.

00:21:24.333 --> 00:21:26.332
And he said, \"Well, you know,

00:21:26.333 --> 00:21:29.100
I want to design a museum
for Shanghai.\"

00:21:31.367 --> 00:21:34.532
The professor said,
\"Why would you do that?\"

00:21:34.533 --> 00:21:37.866
And Pei said, \"Well, because
I come from China,

00:21:37.867 --> 00:21:42.133
and I want to bring nature
into my work.\"

00:21:44.533 --> 00:21:46.766
And so he designed this
very interesting museum

00:21:46.767 --> 00:21:48.266
on many levels,

00:21:48.267 --> 00:21:50.966
with cantilevers
that were modern,

00:21:50.967 --> 00:21:54.299
and concrete and abstraction...
All of that.

00:21:54.300 --> 00:21:57.499
And it was a kind of memory
of his growing up

00:21:57.500 --> 00:21:59.332
in the gardens of Suzhou.

00:21:59.333 --> 00:22:01.900
And so he brought nature in.

00:22:04.100 --> 00:22:07.399
- He was trying to bring
together elements of the past...

00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:09.499
Traditional
Chinese architecture,

00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:10.832
with a contemporary,

00:22:10.833 --> 00:22:13.399
modern language or vocabulary,
with a contemporary,

00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.299
and define something
which reflected both.

00:22:16.300 --> 00:22:20.966
- I understand that
I.M. Pei once called this

00:22:20.967 --> 00:22:24.799
\"an impossible dream,\"
this bringing together

00:22:24.800 --> 00:22:28.199
modern architecture
with tradition.

00:22:28.200 --> 00:22:31.766
I mean, you can stick
a Chinese curved roof

00:22:31.767 --> 00:22:33.332
on a modern building,

00:22:33.333 --> 00:22:36.666
and there are quite a few
of those in China now,

00:22:36.667 --> 00:22:41.466
but it is a very difficult
challenge to do this

00:22:41.467 --> 00:22:45.500
in any way
that is not simply trivial.

00:22:48.067 --> 00:22:51.166
- It\'s very important to
think that, back in the 1940s,

00:22:51.167 --> 00:22:56.632
in the Shanghai Museum,
that little seed of hope

00:22:56.633 --> 00:23:02.832
to invent a Chinese modern
architecture is growing.

00:23:02.833 --> 00:23:06.499
And now in his late 80s,
Pei\'s asked to design

00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:11.199
a modern museum to house
the antiques of Suzhou.

00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:13.166
So that seed has
grown into an oak.

00:23:13.167 --> 00:23:17.966
And he\'s thinking again
as he did at Harvard,

00:23:17.967 --> 00:23:21.932
\"I will try in my way
to open the door

00:23:21.933 --> 00:23:24.699
to an authentic
Chinese architecture.\"

00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:27.833
[siren wailing]

00:23:34.567 --> 00:23:36.800
- Nice to be back.

00:24:05.300 --> 00:24:07.266
What have we got I haven\'t seen?

00:24:07.267 --> 00:24:09.332
- A big rendering.
- Drawings.

00:24:09.333 --> 00:24:10.999
- Ah, now, let\'s see.

00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:14.500
- They turned out all right.
- Very good.

00:24:17.033 --> 00:24:20.199
Richard, your tree is beautiful.

00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:21.566
- You like the tree?

00:24:21.567 --> 00:24:23.566
- Yes! Beautiful.

00:24:23.567 --> 00:24:27.332
Now, the color\'s not
dark enough.

00:24:27.333 --> 00:24:29.532
But that\'s very successful,

00:24:29.533 --> 00:24:31.199
that wood frame around it,

00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:33.599
make it more precious.

00:24:33.600 --> 00:24:35.232
- It really did take
lots of models.

00:24:35.233 --> 00:24:38.332
We went from A to, I think
we\'re maybe at,

00:24:38.333 --> 00:24:40.833
I don\'t know, F or G right now.

00:24:43.267 --> 00:24:45.732
We made changes;
we made changes.

00:24:45.733 --> 00:24:49.699
There were issues about height
and scale and roof material.

00:24:49.700 --> 00:24:51.699
Sometimes we...
We wouldn\'t change,

00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:54.632
but we would at least have to
address their criticisms.

00:24:54.633 --> 00:24:58.666
And we did that, and I think we,
in the process,

00:24:58.667 --> 00:25:01.332
earned their respect
because we didn\'t dismiss

00:25:01.333 --> 00:25:04.267
what their comments were;
we took them very seriously.

00:25:06.633 --> 00:25:08.866
We all agreed to satisfy

00:25:08.867 --> 00:25:12.232
the height limit code
restrictions, and in doing so,

00:25:12.233 --> 00:25:14.032
we\'ve had to put
a certain amount

00:25:14.033 --> 00:25:15.632
of the program below ground.

00:25:15.633 --> 00:25:19.099
We had to find a way to bring
natural light

00:25:19.100 --> 00:25:22.266
into some of these areas.

00:25:22.267 --> 00:25:24.532
But of course, my father has
so much experience

00:25:24.533 --> 00:25:29.667
in the geometries and how we
filter light into the space.

00:25:31.533 --> 00:25:34.166
The client,
which is the Suzhou government,

00:25:34.167 --> 00:25:36.732
was happy with the final design.

00:25:36.733 --> 00:25:41.867
And my father was particularly
good at bringing them on board.

00:25:49.433 --> 00:25:52.433
[lively drums pounding]

00:26:11.833 --> 00:26:14.833
[man speaking Chinese]

00:27:40.067 --> 00:27:43.067
[applause, drums playing]

00:29:14.933 --> 00:29:19.432
- This is
the future museum site.

00:29:19.433 --> 00:29:21.232
And I understand not all of
the residents

00:29:21.233 --> 00:29:22.832
have moved out yet,
but I think soon

00:29:22.833 --> 00:29:24.432
they are all going to be
moving out.

00:29:24.433 --> 00:29:27.599
[hydraulic jackhammer running]

00:29:27.600 --> 00:29:28.932
All these buildings are old.

00:29:28.933 --> 00:29:30.566
Maybe outside they look poetic,

00:29:30.567 --> 00:29:32.900
but inside is very poor
living conditions.

00:29:38.833 --> 00:29:41.332
- It\'s a matter of principle
to me

00:29:41.333 --> 00:29:44.599
how to go to the next century.

00:29:44.600 --> 00:29:48.132
But it\'s a sensitive subject

00:29:48.133 --> 00:29:53.033
with the public, and I\'m not
unaware of it.

00:29:56.667 --> 00:29:58.699
- Some people

00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:02.366
were really unhappy about
what was going on.

00:30:02.367 --> 00:30:04.332
Especially if they had been
living there,

00:30:04.333 --> 00:30:06.266
it was the destruction of
their own community

00:30:06.267 --> 00:30:07.532
that they were seeing.

00:30:07.533 --> 00:30:12.432
But beyond that, for the Chinese
who were watching,

00:30:12.433 --> 00:30:15.399
many had witnessed this before.

00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:18.966
And there may have been memories
of the enormous destruction

00:30:18.967 --> 00:30:22.266
that had taken place during
the cultural revolution.

00:30:22.267 --> 00:30:27.599
All through the Mao days,
these people had seen many

00:30:27.600 --> 00:30:31.533
magnificent old buildings
wiped out.

00:30:34.800 --> 00:30:38.566
- Mao destroyed
traditional Chinese culture.

00:30:38.567 --> 00:30:41.900
He destroyed old Beijing;
he tore down the walls.

00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:47.466
- There was an exodus
of certain people

00:30:47.467 --> 00:30:50.466
out of China, and my father,

00:30:50.467 --> 00:30:52.666
by the way, always thought
he was going to go back.

00:30:52.667 --> 00:30:54.332
I mean, he had a good life
in China.

00:30:54.333 --> 00:30:55.999
He was from a very
prominent family.

00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.932
Why wouldn\'t you go back?

00:30:59.933 --> 00:31:03.599
Now, he graduated in 1939,

00:31:03.600 --> 00:31:06.599
and by that time,
you had the Japanese occupation,

00:31:06.600 --> 00:31:12.066
and then you had the nationalist
Communist battles.

00:31:12.067 --> 00:31:16.899
And his father kept on saying,
\"Not yet. It\'s not the time.\"

00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:19.066
And then, of course, by 1949,

00:31:19.067 --> 00:31:21.533
then it was, you know, too late.

00:31:26.267 --> 00:31:29.632
- Mao, of course,
couldn\'t wait to modernize,

00:31:29.633 --> 00:31:34.366
and saw traditional
Chinese culture

00:31:34.367 --> 00:31:36.399
as a major obstacle.

00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:39.566
The cultural revolution

00:31:39.567 --> 00:31:42.966
was the extreme expression
of this.

00:31:42.967 --> 00:31:47.532
So whereas the West modernized
very gradually,

00:31:47.533 --> 00:31:50.699
and largely voluntarily,

00:31:50.700 --> 00:31:55.199
China wiped a great deal
of the slate clean.

00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:57.132
But the Communists

00:31:57.133 --> 00:32:00.633
didn\'t think very much when they
were planning buildings.

00:32:03.033 --> 00:32:05.499
- The Communist
architecture was awful.

00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:09.299
It was a whole series of cheap,
thrown-up buildings

00:32:09.300 --> 00:32:12.999
without any architectural
invention or integrity.

00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:14.899
And in the last 20 years,

00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:18.532
China was taken over
by bad modernism.

00:32:18.533 --> 00:32:22.332
The kind of awful jerry-built
high rises

00:32:22.333 --> 00:32:24.432
that are going up
all over Beijing

00:32:24.433 --> 00:32:25.999
and then every single city.

00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:29.932
And I.M. Pei feels that
his mission is to take

00:32:29.933 --> 00:32:33.832
this mad destruction
and mad creation

00:32:33.833 --> 00:32:37.567
and give it
some kind of direction.

00:32:59.567 --> 00:33:02.000
[man speaking Chinese]

00:33:15.300 --> 00:33:17.432
- The basement\'s complete.

00:33:17.433 --> 00:33:19.132
The ground floor is coming up.

00:33:19.133 --> 00:33:21.499
The building is now
under construction.

00:33:21.500 --> 00:33:24.999
That will be
the first challenge.

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:27.766
Second challenge
is how to exhibit art.

00:33:27.767 --> 00:33:29.899
This is a museum.

00:33:29.900 --> 00:33:31.266
So to begin with,

00:33:31.267 --> 00:33:34.499
we built a room to exhibit
the collections,

00:33:34.500 --> 00:33:36.066
a full-size maquette

00:33:36.067 --> 00:33:38.800
with a roof and a wall
all built.

00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:43.366
- It\'s something
I\'m very anxious to see,

00:33:43.367 --> 00:33:46.532
because it\'ll give me an idea
as to whether

00:33:46.533 --> 00:33:48.667
we are going about
in the right way.

00:34:23.833 --> 00:34:26.166
- Mr. Pei went

00:34:26.167 --> 00:34:29.232
right to how the galleries were
going to be treated.

00:34:29.233 --> 00:34:31.032
That was very important to him.

00:34:31.033 --> 00:34:33.566
With a lot of the museums
that you see today,

00:34:33.567 --> 00:34:37.866
you know, it\'s all about big
formal manipulations, big moves.

00:34:37.867 --> 00:34:40.599
Here with the collection
at the museum,

00:34:40.600 --> 00:34:42.433
we really couldn\'t do that.

00:34:55.033 --> 00:34:58.699
- It\'s too powerful
for the object.

00:34:58.700 --> 00:35:00.832
The object is very small.

00:35:00.833 --> 00:35:03.032
The art objects of Suzhou...

00:35:03.033 --> 00:35:06.266
Porcelain, ivory,
that sort of thing...

00:35:06.267 --> 00:35:10.432
They\'re not intended
for palaces.

00:35:10.433 --> 00:35:12.666
They are likely to be
very small.

00:35:12.667 --> 00:35:14.999
You want to see it
in a small room.

00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:18.166
So therefore, to exhibit these
little objects

00:35:18.167 --> 00:35:22.099
is much more difficult
than to do a tapestry

00:35:22.100 --> 00:35:25.299
or do a big
Michelangelo sculpture

00:35:25.300 --> 00:35:26.766
or something like that.

00:35:26.767 --> 00:35:29.400
So it\'s a very different
kind of challenge.

00:35:35.500 --> 00:35:39.367
There\'s lots of light
coming in from there.

00:35:41.967 --> 00:35:45.266
The scale of the room
is not bad.

00:35:45.267 --> 00:35:49.499
- People say this is maybe
his last project.

00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:52.199
He takes this
very, very personally,

00:35:52.200 --> 00:35:55.299
and he is quite sensitive
in this project

00:35:55.300 --> 00:35:58.832
to the comments that are coming
to him, as well.

00:35:58.833 --> 00:36:03.632
You know, we see him a lot more
frequently on this project

00:36:03.633 --> 00:36:05.599
than we normally do.

00:36:05.600 --> 00:36:08.966
And he\'s spent quite a bit of
time and energy on this.

00:36:08.967 --> 00:36:10.733
I mean, this is
really close to his heart.

00:36:23.733 --> 00:36:25.966
- Mi Fu calligraphy like art.

00:36:25.967 --> 00:36:27.767
Beautiful calligraphy.

00:36:32.333 --> 00:36:35.466
- Suzhou set the direction
for me.

00:36:35.467 --> 00:36:38.632
I\'d like to contribute something

00:36:38.633 --> 00:36:44.499
to a place where my family has
prospered 600 years.

00:36:44.500 --> 00:36:47.132
And also my memory

00:36:47.133 --> 00:36:51.332
of China is stronger here
in this town

00:36:51.333 --> 00:36:53.100
than in any other place.

00:36:56.700 --> 00:37:00.999
My recollection of Suzhou
is a city of gardens.

00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:04.066
And, of course, those are not
like Western gardens.

00:37:04.067 --> 00:37:06.733
They are full of water
and beautiful rocks.

00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:11.099
My uncle owned this place.

00:37:11.100 --> 00:37:14.232
It was one of
the biggest gardens there.

00:37:14.233 --> 00:37:17.699
And so I played here
when I was a little boy.

00:37:17.700 --> 00:37:19.699
I used to play
hide and seek here.

00:37:19.700 --> 00:37:22.133
It\'s a wonderful place
to play hide and seek.

00:37:25.600 --> 00:37:29.099
You can make-believe
in this place

00:37:29.100 --> 00:37:34.832
in the midst of all these
strange-looking rocks.

00:37:34.833 --> 00:37:36.799
For example,
there are two stones there

00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:38.266
that look like lions, you know?

00:37:38.267 --> 00:37:42.499
Now, these stones
are very special.

00:37:42.500 --> 00:37:46.432
They came from stone farmers.

00:37:46.433 --> 00:37:48.766
That\'s an interesting term.

00:37:48.767 --> 00:37:50.199
Why?

00:37:50.200 --> 00:37:54.332
Because these stone farmers
collected a piece of stone.

00:37:54.333 --> 00:37:56.699
Now, he\'s also sculptor.

00:37:56.700 --> 00:38:00.832
And if he saw possibilities
in that stone,

00:38:00.833 --> 00:38:02.632
he decided to cut

00:38:02.633 --> 00:38:06.132
holes in the stone,
or something that he thinks

00:38:06.133 --> 00:38:08.199
would make the stone
a little more special.

00:38:08.200 --> 00:38:09.566
But of course, the stone looks

00:38:09.567 --> 00:38:11.532
rough, like this.

00:38:11.533 --> 00:38:17.999
So this farmer would
put the stone in the lake.

00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:22.266
And the ebb and flow of the tide

00:38:22.267 --> 00:38:24.232
would soften the rough edges.

00:38:24.233 --> 00:38:26.199
And after 10 or 20 years,

00:38:26.200 --> 00:38:30.466
they would sell that stone
and make gardens out of it.

00:38:30.467 --> 00:38:33.866
So that\'s why
they called them \"farmers,\"

00:38:33.867 --> 00:38:39.400
because the father sow,
and the son reaps.

00:38:42.133 --> 00:38:47.632
The garden is always the heart
of Chinese architecture.

00:38:47.633 --> 00:38:51.099
And some of the elements
of a Chinese garden

00:38:51.100 --> 00:38:54.732
will be incorporated
into the museum.

00:38:54.733 --> 00:38:56.399
In fact, the garden is actually

00:38:56.400 --> 00:38:58.632
more important to me
than the buildings.

00:38:58.633 --> 00:39:04.032
But it\'s the garden
I\'m least confident about,

00:39:04.033 --> 00:39:06.433
especially with
what to do with the rocks.

00:39:09.200 --> 00:39:11.466
I\'m not going to use rocks
the same old way.

00:39:11.467 --> 00:39:12.999
I can\'t.

00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:16.499
And even if I try, I won\'t be
able to do it as well.

00:39:16.500 --> 00:39:18.033
So therefore, why try?

00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:24.666
- So there must be a new way.

00:39:24.667 --> 00:39:27.066
And that new way
is something I\'m searching.

00:39:27.067 --> 00:39:32.500
I\'m not confident
that I have the solution yet.

00:39:52.200 --> 00:39:56.166
- The top of the stone
has a lot of dust from cutting,

00:39:56.167 --> 00:39:57.899
so it\'s still very white.

00:39:57.900 --> 00:40:01.699
- These rocks are cut

00:40:01.700 --> 00:40:03.266
in the natural silhouette
of the stone

00:40:03.267 --> 00:40:05.932
after you cut it,

00:40:05.933 --> 00:40:08.766
has a...
Has an edge to it.

00:40:08.767 --> 00:40:10.032
It\'s quite interesting.

00:40:10.033 --> 00:40:11.567
Not unlike Chinese paintings.

00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:21.566
- So what we\'re trying to do
is find a new way to use rocks

00:40:21.567 --> 00:40:24.099
modeled after Chinese paintings

00:40:24.100 --> 00:40:26.200
that have the silhouette
of mountains.

00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:31.966
- So it\'s an experiment.

00:40:31.967 --> 00:40:34.332
Painting with stones.

00:40:34.333 --> 00:40:37.666
Whether we will succeed or not,
I don\'t know.

00:40:37.667 --> 00:40:39.332
But if we don\'t succeed,
I tell you,

00:40:39.333 --> 00:40:41.399
I don\'t know what to do.

00:40:41.400 --> 00:40:43.432
Maybe we cannot
use rocks anymore

00:40:43.433 --> 00:40:45.832
because we don\'t know how.

00:40:45.833 --> 00:40:47.466
We don\'t have the skill.

00:40:47.467 --> 00:40:50.433
And furthermore,
we don\'t have the time.

00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:49.932
- When Mr. Pei was looking at
the mock-up for the first time,

00:41:49.933 --> 00:41:51.532
there\'s no sense of perspective.

00:41:51.533 --> 00:41:54.332
That\'s one of the worries
when he first saw these rocks.

00:41:54.333 --> 00:41:59.599
They do look rather flat because
the color was very uniform.

00:41:59.600 --> 00:42:01.632
So we we decided
to create a shade

00:42:01.633 --> 00:42:03.200
of burning some of the rocks.

00:42:11.767 --> 00:42:14.032
- I must tell you, even two days

00:42:14.033 --> 00:42:16.666
before Mr. Pei came,
I talked to some officials.

00:42:16.667 --> 00:42:19.499
They said, \"Well, the garden is
a very important thing,

00:42:19.500 --> 00:42:21.300
but we are just not sure
about these rocks.\"

00:42:22.867 --> 00:42:25.932
We\'re still kind of
experimenting with the process,

00:42:25.933 --> 00:42:28.799
but so far I think it\'s getting
closer to what

00:42:28.800 --> 00:42:31.066
the Song painting
would be like...

00:42:31.067 --> 00:42:33.766
In a real sense...
Three-dimensional sense.

00:42:33.767 --> 00:42:38.166
Now, this part is torched.

00:42:38.167 --> 00:42:40.466
It is torched too much.

00:42:40.467 --> 00:42:43.632
The sharpness of this line
is gone there.

00:42:43.633 --> 00:42:45.932
We want to torch less
the next time.

00:42:45.933 --> 00:42:48.932
You have this thickness that
maybe it\'s good to keep some of.

00:42:48.933 --> 00:42:51.199
Keep some of
the sharpness, yeah.

00:42:51.200 --> 00:42:54.500
This has a lot of character.

00:43:10.100 --> 00:43:11.766
- Now we know what to do.

00:43:11.767 --> 00:43:13.899
Let\'s see if we can do
something.

00:43:13.900 --> 00:43:15.632
But, definitely...

00:43:15.633 --> 00:43:17.332
yeah, much better.

00:43:17.333 --> 00:43:19.533
Well, this is
an interesting experiment.

00:43:33.600 --> 00:43:34.799
- Here in China

00:43:34.800 --> 00:43:36.399
when I\'m working with
Mr. Pei together,

00:43:36.400 --> 00:43:37.599
one thing I think I see

00:43:37.600 --> 00:43:40.299
that even my colleagues
in New York don\'t

00:43:40.300 --> 00:43:42.432
is the Chinese side
of Mr. Pei.

00:43:42.433 --> 00:43:45.232
Because when he\'s thinking
of the gardens,

00:43:45.233 --> 00:43:48.999
when he\'s talking to me
in Chinese, in Suzhou dialect,

00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:54.299
I get to see the Chinese
sensibility of Mr. Pei,

00:43:54.300 --> 00:43:58.366
which got into him
many years ago.

00:43:58.367 --> 00:44:01.266
But this is actually Mr. Pei\'s
final trip to China

00:44:01.267 --> 00:44:03.166
before the opening.

00:44:03.167 --> 00:44:06.266
At his age, he can\'t travel
as much as he would like to.

00:44:06.267 --> 00:44:08.966
So we just have
to travel for him

00:44:08.967 --> 00:44:11.199
and to report to him
of what\'s going on.

00:44:11.200 --> 00:44:13.233
[all chatting]

00:44:18.467 --> 00:44:20.932
This is with regret that
I have to leave now.

00:44:20.933 --> 00:44:22.499
I should stay longer.

00:44:22.500 --> 00:44:25.332
Bye-bye.

00:44:25.333 --> 00:44:26.766
- One more.
One more picture.

00:44:26.767 --> 00:44:29.199
[laughter]

00:44:29.200 --> 00:44:30.566
- When I can\'t do it anymore...

00:44:30.567 --> 00:44:32.599
Because I can\'t fly here
all the time

00:44:32.600 --> 00:44:33.832
as I used to, you know,

00:44:33.833 --> 00:44:36.732
so it\'s very uncomfortable
for me to leave,

00:44:36.733 --> 00:44:39.800
knowing that there\'s
so much left to be done.

00:44:42.633 --> 00:44:45.000
- [whistles]

00:44:54.167 --> 00:44:56.966
- Every building has
its own challenges.

00:44:56.967 --> 00:44:59.166
And, you know,
one of the hallmarks,

00:44:59.167 --> 00:45:00.799
I think, of my father\'s work

00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:02.566
is all the details.

00:45:02.567 --> 00:45:06.432
And, you know, getting all
the details right

00:45:06.433 --> 00:45:09.933
in a country like China
is never easy.

00:45:13.933 --> 00:45:16.199
I mean, I think of the rocks
that are in the garden.

00:45:16.200 --> 00:45:17.699
Nobody had ever done
that before.

00:45:17.700 --> 00:45:19.832
What was it supposed to be like?
How do you do it?

00:45:19.833 --> 00:45:23.099
I mean, the idea had come
pretty quickly,

00:45:23.100 --> 00:45:25.733
but an idea is no good
if you can\'t execute it.

00:45:30.733 --> 00:45:33.932
- During the construction
of the rockscape,

00:45:33.933 --> 00:45:37.432
we had a vision in our eye
of what we wanted to see.

00:45:37.433 --> 00:45:39.499
But it was a messy
construction site.

00:45:39.500 --> 00:45:41.532
[jackhammer rattling]

00:45:41.533 --> 00:45:43.799
Pieces are just cut.

00:45:43.800 --> 00:45:46.299
You have concrete
foundations exposed,

00:45:46.300 --> 00:45:48.199
and Mr. Pei was anxious.

00:45:48.200 --> 00:45:51.032
- And he was trying
to do this from a long distance,

00:45:51.033 --> 00:45:53.199
because he wasn\'t there
for a lot of this.

00:45:53.200 --> 00:45:55.032
So we would have
photographs sent

00:45:55.033 --> 00:45:57.232
back from Suzhou.

00:45:57.233 --> 00:45:59.166
And he would look at
the photographs, and say,

00:45:59.167 --> 00:46:02.099
\"Well, you know this rock
needs to move over

00:46:02.100 --> 00:46:03.499
\"six inches here,

00:46:03.500 --> 00:46:06.733
and move this one back
two feet.\"

00:46:09.133 --> 00:46:11.699
Trying to communicate this
over 10,000 miles

00:46:11.700 --> 00:46:15.966
and 12 hours of time difference
is a challenge.

00:46:15.967 --> 00:46:16.967
- Ho ho!

00:46:16.968 --> 00:46:18.000
[whistle toots]

00:46:19.600 --> 00:46:21.232
- And, you know,
these are big rocks,

00:46:21.233 --> 00:46:24.332
and to move them a few feet
might take a whole day.

00:46:24.333 --> 00:46:25.432
[whistle toots]

00:46:25.433 --> 00:46:27.732
So the amount of effort
that went into it

00:46:27.733 --> 00:46:29.299
shows that he was really engaged

00:46:29.300 --> 00:46:32.600
in trying to do something
interesting.

00:46:37.033 --> 00:46:39.032
- All through his career,

00:46:39.033 --> 00:46:42.199
it was the details that Pei
really sweated over.

00:46:42.200 --> 00:46:44.732
He produced a precisionist,

00:46:44.733 --> 00:46:47.966
elegant, minimalist
architecture.

00:46:47.967 --> 00:46:50.532
And when he designs

00:46:50.533 --> 00:46:54.232
the Suzhou Museum,
he\'s ultimately thinking,

00:46:54.233 --> 00:46:56.199
\"I will give back to China.

00:46:56.200 --> 00:47:00.432
\"I will try, in my way, to fully

00:47:00.433 --> 00:47:02.499
\"engage with the tradition

00:47:02.500 --> 00:47:05.566
\"of Chinese architecture
and meld it

00:47:05.567 --> 00:47:07.399
\"with the modern techniques...
With stucco,

00:47:07.400 --> 00:47:11.466
steel and glass,
and concrete.\"

00:47:11.467 --> 00:47:13.999
You see, he turned concrete
from a heavy,

00:47:14.000 --> 00:47:20.232
brutal material into a silken,
Chinese scroll painting

00:47:20.233 --> 00:47:23.099
in the end of his life...
I mean, at 90,

00:47:23.100 --> 00:47:25.266
he does the best concrete
in the world.

00:47:25.267 --> 00:47:28.033
You touch it, you think,
\"Oh, I\'d like to wear that.\"

00:47:31.033 --> 00:47:33.332
But the Suzhou Museum is modest.

00:47:33.333 --> 00:47:36.632
And there\'s where Pei\'s modesty
is very important.

00:47:36.633 --> 00:47:39.232
He knows that if there is
going to be a rebirth

00:47:39.233 --> 00:47:41.232
of Chinese architecture,

00:47:41.233 --> 00:47:44.032
it\'s not going
to be one building.

00:47:44.033 --> 00:47:47.332
But it is going to be
a series of steps.

00:47:47.333 --> 00:47:50.132
And I think this building
is a great step

00:47:50.133 --> 00:47:53.466
in his giving to China
a direction.

00:47:53.467 --> 00:47:55.633
[cheering and applause]

00:47:57.867 --> 00:48:00.600
- [speaking Chinese]

00:48:32.533 --> 00:48:35.900
[applause]

00:48:45.967 --> 00:48:49.966
Suzhou Museum...
I think of it as part of me.

00:48:49.967 --> 00:48:52.466
And so, in many ways,

00:48:52.467 --> 00:48:57.199
this project is a biography
for myself.

00:48:57.200 --> 00:49:01.167
And what little
I remember of China...

00:49:07.900 --> 00:49:11.599
You see, I left when
I was quite young,

00:49:11.600 --> 00:49:14.866
so what I remember of China
is purely one of nostalgia.

00:49:14.867 --> 00:49:17.532
Because I wasn\'t...

00:49:17.533 --> 00:49:21.732
But it gave me a chance
to somehow to...

00:49:21.733 --> 00:49:27.167
To make a physical expression
of what I remember.

00:49:29.300 --> 00:49:31.699
Whether I\'ve captured it,
I don\'t know.

00:49:31.700 --> 00:49:33.500
[chuckling]
You\'ll have to ask them.

00:49:35.367 --> 00:49:37.366
People going in, do they feel
that this

00:49:37.367 --> 00:49:39.632
is old China
or this is new China?

00:49:39.633 --> 00:49:40.766
I don\'t know.

00:49:40.767 --> 00:49:43.967
But I hope that they think
this is China.

00:49:48.967 --> 00:49:50.966
- I think he has created

00:49:50.967 --> 00:49:53.400
a totally original work of art.

00:49:55.933 --> 00:49:59.832
And I tell you something
which is quite interesting...

00:49:59.833 --> 00:50:03.332
Many great Chinese artists
do their best work

00:50:03.333 --> 00:50:05.432
in their very late years.

00:50:05.433 --> 00:50:07.966
And that\'s something
that doesn\'t happen elsewhere.

00:50:07.967 --> 00:50:11.666
I mean, that... not as much
as in China, anyway.

00:50:11.667 --> 00:50:16.633
And I.M. is a modern example
of that.

00:50:22.867 --> 00:50:27.266
I think something of Suzhou
has always been with him.

00:50:27.267 --> 00:50:31.299
And it\'s a subject that
he\'s held, I think,

00:50:31.300 --> 00:50:33.199
in his heart for a long time.

00:50:33.200 --> 00:50:36.767
And it comes out
with the master\'s brush.

00:50:42.533 --> 00:50:45.132
- Chinese people can

00:50:45.133 --> 00:50:47.866
be very still and quiet
for a long time.

00:50:47.867 --> 00:50:50.300
But they remember.
They have long memories.

00:50:52.567 --> 00:50:54.199
I mean, even as a student

00:50:54.200 --> 00:50:57.199
back in the 1940s,
Pei was thinking,

00:50:57.200 --> 00:51:01.166
\"I\'m going to give you a new,
authentic Chinese architecture,

00:51:01.167 --> 00:51:04.166
the first you\'ve had
since the Ming.\"

00:51:04.167 --> 00:51:07.166
And now at the end
of his long career,

00:51:07.167 --> 00:51:12.466
the Suzhou Museum is,
in many ways, a very graceful

00:51:12.467 --> 00:51:16.299
and lyrical essay in his idea.

00:51:16.300 --> 00:51:18.932
And it\'s really the culmination
of this dream

00:51:18.933 --> 00:51:20.833
which he had at Harvard.

00:51:24.333 --> 00:51:27.232
- The building is very elegant,

00:51:27.233 --> 00:51:31.366
subtle, but to actually have one
of his last pieces

00:51:31.367 --> 00:51:34.799
return back to where he is from,

00:51:34.800 --> 00:51:37.399
I think that journey,
as a career,

00:51:37.400 --> 00:51:40.499
is grand, is noble.

00:51:40.500 --> 00:51:44.066
And it\'s very Chinese.

00:51:44.067 --> 00:51:47.433
I mean, always return home
when you are successful.

00:51:49.233 --> 00:51:50.632
Only come home

00:51:50.633 --> 00:51:53.866
when you are doing better
than your ancestors.

00:51:53.867 --> 00:51:57.299
I don\'t know if I.M. is very
conscious about it,

00:51:57.300 --> 00:52:00.166
but that act of coming home
was actually doing

00:52:00.167 --> 00:52:01.799
the most important building

00:52:01.800 --> 00:52:05.067
is one of the Chinese virtues.

00:52:09.533 --> 00:52:11.999
- I left China in 1935.

00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:16.699
So I returned to Suzhou
almost as an outsider

00:52:16.700 --> 00:52:20.399
looking back at a place
that I remember.

00:52:20.400 --> 00:52:22.799
But was I prepared
to deal with it?

00:52:22.800 --> 00:52:25.567
I don\'t know whether I did.
But I tried to.

00:52:28.500 --> 00:52:30.999
What little I remember of China,

00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:34.099
I tried to put it back
into this building.

00:52:34.100 --> 00:52:37.399
So I like to think that this is
a Suzhou place

00:52:37.400 --> 00:52:39.567
that I\'ve created.

00:52:43.533 --> 00:52:47.299
Suzhou Museum was an exciting
journey for me.

00:52:47.300 --> 00:52:49.766
And it was a challenging one,

00:52:49.767 --> 00:52:54.366
but I faced that challenge
with great deal of interest.

00:52:54.367 --> 00:52:55.966
Looking back at it,

00:52:55.967 --> 00:53:00.667
I think it is my return to home,
so to speak.

00:54:05.033 --> 00:54:08.566
Announcer: Shumei and its
flagship cultural institution,

00:54:08.567 --> 00:54:09.899
the Miho Museum in Japan,

00:54:09.900 --> 00:54:12.366
are proud to be part
of I.M. Pei\'s legacy

00:54:12.367 --> 00:54:15.766
and a proud sponsor of I.M. Pei:
Building China Modern,

00:54:15.767 --> 00:54:17.767
for public television.

00:54:21.000 --> 00:54:23.566
American Masters and this
program are made possible

00:54:23.567 --> 00:54:26.199
by the support of the
National Endowment for the Arts,

00:54:26.200 --> 00:54:29.899
because a great nation deserves
great art.

00:54:29.900 --> 00:54:32.999
And by the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting.

00:54:33.000 --> 00:54:36.333
Additional funding for
American Masters provided by:

00:54:44.600 --> 00:54:46.399
And the following:

00:54:46.400 --> 00:54:49.199
Additional funding for I.M. Pei:
Building China Modern

00:54:49.200 --> 00:54:53.867
provided by Kimball Chen,
Alice King, and the following.

00:54:57.733 --> 00:55:02.199
And by contributions to your PBS
station from viewers like you.

00:55:02.200 --> 00:55:04.033
Thank you.