Rural Moves – New Perspec­tives for Rural Areas in China and Austria

From China to Austria, rural regions face similar challenges: the cores of the communities and centres of the villages are becoming increasingly dispersed, vacant buildings and a lack of jobs are destabilizing infrastructure, resulting in migration to the cities.

The exhibition ‘Rural Moves – The Songyang Story’ shows how precise architectural interventions were found in response to these challenges, and infrastructure was improved in the Songyang region. The exhibition opens with a dialogue between the cultures underlying concepts for rural space in China and in Austria.

A cooperation by the Az W with Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin

Welcome address: Angelika Fitz, Director Az W, Hans-Jürgen Commerell, Director Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin

Introduction: Eduard Kögel, Curator, Berlin; Liu Shouying, Rural economist, Beijing

Lectures: Xu Tiantian, DnA_Design and Architecture, Beijing; Roland Gruber, Landluft – Verein zur Förderung von Baukultur in ländlichen Räumen

Panel discussion: Roland Gruber, Eduard Kögel, Liu Shouying, Xu Tiantian

Opening: Angelika Fitz, Director Az W; Kristin Feireiss, Director Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin; LI Xiaosi, Chinese ambassador in Austria