Brutalist China

The story of postwar China is written not only in its history books, but in its architecture. Paul Tulett tells that story through more than 220 original color photographs and incisive commentary, revealing how an international movement was transformed by local traditions, political ideals, and the demands of rapidly expanding cities. From monumental civic buildings and university campuses to housing estates, cultural institutions, and commercial landmarks, the buildings gathered here reveal the extraordinary breadth of Brutalist architecure across China, much of it little known outside the region. Tulett’s photographs uncover unexpected beauty in sweeping planes of concrete, bold geometric forms, and dramatic compositions of light and shadow, inviting readers to see these buildings not simply as feats of engineering but as works of striking visual power. Drawing on years of documenting the region’s built environment, Tulett offers architects, designers, travelers, and admirers of modern architecture an engaging new perspective on one of the twentieth century's most remarkable yet least familiar architectural traditions.