Designing Within Politics: The Zuo Zongtang Memorial Tower

How does one balance design freedom with political demands? In this article, I explore my experience designing the Zuo Zongtang Memorial Tower in Xinjiang, navigating between creative autonomy and state-driven narratives.

In May 2024, I was invited to participate in a design competition that tasked me with creating a memorial tower in Hami, Xinjiang, celebrating the Qing Dynasty general Zuo Zongtang, who reclaimed this frontier territory from Russian control. This design project was profoundly political, as the client and stakeholders were deeply embedded within the Chinese Communist Party. The narrative surrounding Zuo Zongtang and the project’s symbolic implications had to align with the Party’s broader ideological goals, which required navigating the intersection of architecture and state-driven narratives.

For this project, my design embraced local traditional elements while adhering to the Party’s symbolic framework, aiming to reflect the cultural and historical significance of the region. However, the process raised important questions about the role of the architect within politically charged environments. Can architecture truly exist outside of politics, especially in such a context?

Despite the overt political messaging required by the project, I strived to preserve a sense of design freedom. This balance between respecting political imperatives and maintaining creative autonomy challenged me as a designer. It pushed me to consider how my work, as an architect, can contribute to such narratives without losing its core artistic integrity.

Interestingly, this project deviates from my typical design approach, which usually emphasizes cultural and sustainable design narratives. It introduced a new dimension to my practice, forcing me to reflect on the relationship between architecture, politics, and personal design philosophy.

As the project is now in its final review stages, with an award placing me in the top three, I am eager to see where it leads. Should the design move forward, it may ultimately be realized.