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Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Canton, China on April 26, 1917. His ancestors
lived for more than 600 years in Suzhou, a city in the Yangtze basin, northwest of
Shanghai. The city of Suzhou flourished in rice and silk trade. The proverbial saying was, "In heaven there is paradise and on earth, Suzhou." At the time of Pei’s
birth, Suzhou experienced political turbulence.
Pei’s father
Tseujee, who worked in a bank, was asked to shift his family to the safety at Hong Kong,
where they lived for nine years. There, Pei’s sister Wei and two brothers Kwan and
Chung were born. In 1927 the family returned to mainland China and Pei’s father was
made the manager of the bank in Shanghai. Their relationship was similar to the one that
existed between Gandhi and his father.
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Pei’s mother Lien Kwan was a gifted flute player and a devout Buddhist. Pei being the eldest son was her favorite. He felt at ease in her company and approached her with his problems. Because of this intimate rapport, she took him to religious retreats. This bond was broken on his mother death when he was 13 years old. But his love and the visit to the Buddhist temple remained engraved deep within him.
Even as a young boy, Pei noticed the interface of buildings and nature in the gardens. He was especially impressed by the way light and shadow interplay that created tremendous impact on the their design. After 50 years, Pei returned to this garden to refresh his memory before pursuing an architectural design project – The Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing, China. |
Art and commerce were both ingrained in
Pei’s upbringing. He started his education at St John’s Middle School in Shanghai. At 17,
Pei came to America in 1935, hoping to study architecture at the University of
Pennsylvania, one of America’s top architecture schools. After two weeks, Pei was
discouraged by the heavy emphasis on drawing. He lacked confidence; he thought his drawing
skills were not at par with his peers. |
