China Portrait: Renske van Dam

As a warm up to Creative Industries Update Januari 31st in Amsterdam, DutchDFA interviewed designers that participated at Canton Fair and Beijing Design Week last fall. This portrait: Renske Maria van Dam (MA Architecture Student)

My (work) relation to China: In 2010 I joined the ‘next city project’, for which I was in Beijing, in October 2010 and September 2011. From February 2011, I lived and worked for seven months at Li Xiaodong Architecture atelier in Beijing and traveled to other parts of China. Currently I am graduating on the China Mainland- Hong Kong border issues.

Why were you interested in doing business in China? What where your initial expectations before going?

As architecture student I am concerned with the development of our future habitat. Before going to China I was mainly interested in the contemporary mega-city developments. I expected to be confronted with the issue of density: How to develop ecological, social and economical responsible living environments in ‘ever growing’ cities? Chinese architects, urbanists and theorists are currently developing interdisciplinary perspectives on these issues within the ‘science of human settlements’.

In what way are your expectations now different from before visiting?

During my visits my initial interests faded. I started to focus on the Chinese culture and the experience of space, place and community. I lived for 7 months in a so called ‘super block’, a community with 15, 22 storey high flats. In the west these superblocks are known as the biggest planning mistakes China is making. But according to my experience this superblock was everything except a planning mistake. I lived in a lively community where every morning people where practicing tai chi, school kids play daily outside and every evening inhabitants gather at the swimming pool or communal courtyard. China has an extremely rich history, which is still reflected in contemporary social and cultural habits. The Chinese culture is signed by a way of thinking which could become very meaningful also to the ‘ West’.  The experience of this rich culture encouraged me to focus on the influence of globalization on the value of place.

Something astonishing you learned or experienced?

My best, almost live changing, learning experience in China was to understand ‘thinking’ as ‘feeling’. This caused a far more intuitive (above rational) approach during my research and design.

What cliché is not true?

Chinese university students do not work 24 hour a day, and 7 days a week. They start early, but  have a long lunch (and sleeping) break before finishing their day at normal working hours. The working pace is, compared to the Dutch pace, slow or inefficient, as more things in China, so you have to be patient. On the other hand, the cliché about the very hard and intensive primary school and high school is true!

What is, according to you, the most challenging part of doing business in China? Worries? Things Dutch professionals have to conquer?

The most challenging part is the cultural difference. Not because you cannot do business without understanding their culture, almost everything is possible, but if you want to enrich your own work you have to understand more about the beautiful Chinese culture and way of living live.  When doing business in China you have to understand that sometimes personal relations or cultural traditions are far more important than efficiency. In my opinion it would be very helpful when Westerners loose their arrogance about being Western and open up to a new culture and a new way of working.

What advice can you give Dutch colleagues who have ambitions in China? Tips? Lessons?

Learn the language, make friends and learn to drink ‘baijiu’  (a traditional Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage).

What are your plans for China in 2012?

In 2012 I will study China from the Netherlands by writing a thesis on the Chinese experience and concept of space, place and community and graduating in architecture on the Hong Kong – China border issue. If possible, I would love to go back to live and work in China for a while.

Renske van Dam participated in the Next Cities Masterclass project. See for more details on the programme: http://www.dutchdfa.com/china/next-city.

Creative Amsterdam Update China

Where: Pakhuis De Zwijger

When: 31 January 2012, 14:00 - 22:15

Tickets: for sale at Creative Amsterdam website

Read our interviews with participants here:

• China Portrait Daan Roosegaarde (Studio Roosegaarde)
• China Portrait André Jekel (IAA architecten)