In 1934, the Pennsylvania Department of Architecture was opened to female students for the first time, but that was 10 years after Lin Huiyin graduated.
Since that year, the school has begun to offer make-up architecture degrees to women who had studied architecture at the school, but Lin Huiyin has been excluded.
Ninety years later, on May 18, 2024, Lin Huiyin's granddaughter Yu Kui (Liang Zaibing's daughter) accepted the Bachelor of Architecture degree conferred by Dean Fritz Steiner on behalf of Lin Huiyin at the graduation ceremony of the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania.
And this, it has been 70 years since Lin Huiyin's death.
In 1924, at the age of 20, Lin Hui was admitted to the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, but the Department of Architecture rejected his application on the grounds that some courses were not suitable for women. Lin Huiyin changed to the Department of Fine Arts and obtained a bachelor's degree in fine arts.
The difference is that Lin Huiyin, who has ambitions here, has completed most of the courses required for a bachelor's degree in architecture while completing the courses of the Department of Perfection, and has excellent grades. However, due to her female status, Lin Huiyin did not receive a bachelor's degree in architecture.
In the decades since her return to China, Lin Huiyin has worked with Liang Sicheng to reshape the historiography, education, and practice of architecture in China, and to change the direction of Chinese architecture in the twentieth century.
In their work, Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng fused their deep reverence for thousands of years of Chinese architectural and cultural traditions with the emerging modernist movement. They worked hard to record and organize the ancient Chinese architectural heritage that had not yet been discovered and valued at that time, and at the same time promoted the construction of a research system for the history of Chinese architecture.
Lin Huiyin (left) and Liang Sicheng at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing in 1936
(Photo credit: Penn Fisher Library of Fine Arts)
Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng co-founded two architecture departments in Shenyang, China, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, influencing generations of Chinese architects and scholars through these earliest architectural educations. In the practice of creating the architecture of these two universities, they translated the design ideas that shaped modernist architectural movements such as the Bauhaus into new teaching methods adapted to Asia, with a particular emphasis on design teaching and design competitions. As Lin Huiyin put it in a 1925 article in the Philadelphia Public Register, "We must learn the basic principles of all art and apply them to create our own designs." ”
In 1926, Lin Hui drew one of the illustrations for the yearbook of female undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania
(Photo: University of Pennsylvania Archives)
Steiner lamented, "We are correcting the mistakes of history." The reason why Lin Huiyin was not awarded a degree is clear, that is, her female identity. ”
And this, 100 years have passed since Lin Huiyin entered school.
Here, we revisit the 100 years of this poet, architect, and writer.
Lin Huiyin in childhood, adolescence, and youth
(The first picture is 4-year-old Lin Huiyin)
On June 10, 1904, Lin Huiyin was born in Luguan Lane Residence, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and her name originated from "The Book of Songs, Daya, Siqi", "Huiyin" has the meaning of reputation and virtue.
Lin Changmin and 6-year-old Lin Huiyin
Lin Huiyin is the eldest daughter in the family, and she has a younger brother and a younger sister with her compatriots, and the younger brother died young, and he didn't even have a name left; Her sister's name is Lin Lintoe, born in 1908, died in 1916, the picture above is a photo of her and her sister.
16-year-old Lin Huiyin
In 1920, Lin Changmin went to England to give lectures, and the 16-year-old Lin Huiyin went to London with his father to study. In September of the same year, Lin Huiyin was admitted to St. Mary's College with excellent results, and Xu Zhimo went from the United States to the United Kingdom. In London, Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo met for the first time.
Lin Huiyin with her father
In 1920, Lin Huiyin was in London
20-year-old Lin Huiyin (left), Rabindranath Tagore (middle) and Xu Zhimo (right) pose for a group photo in Tsinghua Park
In April 1924, the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore was invited by Liang Qichao to visit China, and Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo were invited to be the interpreters of Tagore's trip. Before Xu Zhimo died in the plane crash, he had always treasured this photo.
20-year-old Lin Huiyin poses with Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore
On May 1, 1924, Tagore delivered a speech in the auditorium of Tsinghua University, with Xu Zhimo as the on-site interpreter. Rabindranath Tagore appealed to students to be aware of their responsibilities and not to be tainted by the toxins of materialism. At the same time, he hoped that the students would "strive to build a world culture".
In 1924, Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo took a group photo at Tsinghua University
Lin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1927
In December 1925, Lin Hui was killed by a stray bullet because his father Lin Changmin participated in the war against Zhang Zuolin. She was still studying in the United States, and she was 21 years old that year
21-year-old Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng took a group photo during their stay in the United States
At first, Liang Sicheng studied architecture at the University of Penn, but Lin Huiyin was rejected because of gender issues and had to transfer to the Department of Fine Arts. But in the end, Penn not only recognized Lin's design talent, but also made an exception for her to transfer to the Department of Architecture, and she was unexpectedly hired as a "design director" to teach as a teaching assistant in the Department of Architecture.
In 1927, Lin Huiyin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree, and in the same year, he studied stage design at Professor Parker's studio at the Yale School of Drama.
Lin Huiyin's life photos
Lin Huiyin's life photos
Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng wedding photo
On March 21, 1928, 24-year-old Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng got married in Canada, and Lin Huiyin designed the wedding dress himself.
Lin Huiyin took a photo during his inspection of ancient buildings after his newlywed
Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng took a group photo
Lin Huiyin's life photos
Lin Huiyin, Liang Sicheng, Liang Zaibing, and Wang Guiquan took a group photo
Lin Huiyin's life photos
When Lin Huiyin was 25 years old, her eldest daughter Liang Zaibing fell to the ground, and in this photo, you can see the full love for her daughter in Lin Huiyin's eyes.
On January 19, 1929, Liang Qichao died of illness in Beijing at the age of 56. In August of the same year, his daughter was born and named "Zai Bing".
Lin Huiyin's life photos
In March 1931, 31-year-old Lin Huiyin went to Xiangshan Shuangqing Villa to recuperate. He has published poems such as "Still", "That Night", and "Hearing Singing in the Late Night". On November 19 of the same year, Lin Huiyin held a lecture on Chinese architectural art for foreign envoys in the small hall of Xiehe. On the same day, Xu Zhimo took the opportunity to touch the Jinan Party Zhuang Kaishan and died.
Lin Huiyin took a group photo with Liang Congjie and Liang Zaibing
In 1932, Lin Huiyin was 28 years old, and her son Liang Congjie was born.
In May 1934, "You Are the April Day of the World" was published, and this poem is actually full of strong maternal love......
I said, Thou art the April day of the earth;
The sound of laughter lit up the winds on all sides;
The light spirit dances and changes in the glory of spring
The twilight blows the softness of the wind,
The stars are flashing unintentionally,
Drizzle in front of the flowers.
That light, that graceful you are,
You wear the crown of fresh flowers,
You are innocent, solemn, you are the full moon of the night.
......
Lin Huiyin took a group photo with Liang Congjie and Liang Zaibing
Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng took a group photo
In 1933, Lin Huiyin surveyed and mapped in Kaiyuan Temple, Hebei
In 1934, Lin Huiyin was in Lingyan Temple, Xiaoxiang Village, Fenyang
Middle-aged Lin Huiyin
In 1950, Lin Huiyin and her husband Liang Sicheng on the sickbed were discussing the design draft of the new Chinese national emblem.
In 1949, after the liberation of Beijing, Lin Huiyin was hired as a professor in the Department of Architecture of Tsinghua University. Tsinghua University received the task of designing the national emblem, and Lin Huiyin, Li Zongjin, Mo Zongjiang, Zhu Chang and others participated in the design work, and Lin Huiyin worked continuously for several months until the plan was finalized.
Despite living in turbulent times and not in good health, Lin Huiyin never gave up her ideals in frustration, actively engaged in architectural education and design practice, explored the modern expression of traditional Chinese architecture, and participated in the design of important designs such as the Monument to the People's Heroes and the National Emblem when she was seriously ill, and has always been campaigning for the protection of ancient buildings. Lin Huiyin wrote an untitled poem during his illness in 1947:
On his shoulders he first lifted two loads of clouds,
With brilliance, it should be arranged in the calm sky.
She provoked the "two clouds" of literature and architecture, and "proudly held out the brilliance" in the architectural world. In 1955, Lin Huiyin died early of lung disease, and only seven words were engraved on her tombstone: Tomb of architect Lin Huiyin. She has spent her life proving that she is a true architect.