China has seen some spectacular new museum openings in the recent past. A new exhibition at Berlin’s ANCB, The Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory, takes a closer look at 16 cutting-edge examples by 15 architects.Pritzker Prize winner Wang Shu’s and Lu Wenyu’s monolithic History Museum in Ningbo; the sand-dune inspired Ordos Museum by MAD Architects; the umbrella-like Long Museum in Shanghai by Atelier Deshaus; the Artron Art Centre in Shenzhen by URBANUS; or Rocco Architects’ Guangdong Museum in Guangzhou, a formal homage to traditional Chinese treasure boxes, are some of the institutions introduced in the show (see the full list below).Presented as individual case studies with models, video interviews as well artistic interpretations by Chinese painter Yiming Liao, they make for a comprehensive survey that delves deeply into both the stunning aesthetics and formal solutions of contemporary Chinese museum architecture and its role as an agent of social and cultural progress.While globalization is changing the faces of Chinese cities at a breathtaking speed, devouring entire century-old neighborhoods within weeks to replace them with uniformly shiny, often bombastic constructions, museum commissions have become a welcome opportunity for prolific Chinese architects to exercise bold gestures and strong statements. One powerful example is Wang Shu’s und Lu Wenyu’s above-mentioned History Museum in the city of Ningbo. Built from the rubble of demolished villages in the area, among other materials, and constructed by local artisans who used century-old techniques in the process, the monolithic structure physically embodies the history of the location it was created in and the people who have lived there. It is a symbol both of preservation and protective protest amidst a rapidly changing world.Stunning as they are in their variety, it is the museums’ roles as such “drivers of progress within the socio-political and cultural landscape in China today” that is of particular interest for the Berlin show, as Aedes explains in a statement: “How is local and national identity defined by the museum design and curation? How does the museum function within the context of its local social and urban environment? Which form or shape was identified as being most suitable?” are some of the questions it revolves around, while also considering global, digital, urban and demographic challenges.For Aedes, this investigation is a continuation of an international dialog initiated 15 years ago with its survey “TU-MU,” which presented this first generation of independent architects in China for the first time in Germany. Some of them, whose work is now revisited in Berlin, have risen to international fame since, such as Wang Shu, who travelled outside of China for the first time in his life to attend the Berlin opening in 2001 and went on to become the first Chinese Pritzker laureate in 2012; Yung Ho Chang who became Dean at the School of Architecture at MIT, or MAD architects (Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano) the Beijing based studio behind the spectacular Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada. One participant of the 2001 show, on the other hand, turned into a superstar of the art world: Ai Weiwei, whose contribution to “TU-MU” in 2001 was also his first ever exhibition in Germany and who will be represented at Aedes with a concurrent exhibition dedicated to his recent travels to Israel and Palestine. “Zài Xīng Tǔ Mù. Sixteen Chinese Museums, Fifteen Chinese Architects,” runs from August 27 – October 13, 2016 at Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin, Germany. Click here for more information.See more photos in the slideshow. Architects & Projects Represented:  Ningbo History Museum, Ningbo, Amateur Architecture Studio, Wang Shu, Lu Wenyu, Hangzhou; Ordos Museum, Ordos, Mad Architects, Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Beijing; Power Station Of Art, Shanghai, Original Design Studio, Zhang Ming, Zhang Zi, Shanghai; Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou, Rocco Design Architects, Rocco Yim, Hong Kong; Long Museum, Shanghai, Atelier Deshaus, Liu Yichun, Chen Yifeng, Shanghai; Artron Art Centre, Shenzhen, Urbanus, Meng Yan, Wang Hui, Liu Xiadu, Beijing, Shenzhen; New Workers Museum, Picun Village, Organized And Operated By Local Ngo ; Xiao Hui Wang Art Museum, Suzhou, Xiao Hui Wang And Exh Design, Zhang Xi, Erich Diserens, Shanghai ; Jishou Art Museum Bridge, Jishou, Atelier Feichang Jianzhu, Yung Ho Chang, Lu Lijia, Beijing ; Xiao Feng Art Museum, Hangzhou, Zao/ Standardarchitecture, Zhang Ke, Beijing; National Earthquake Memorial & Museum, Beichuan, Cai Yongjie, Tongji Architectural Design And Research Institute, Shanghai; Museum Of Humanities & Arts, Zhujiajiao, Scenic Architecture, Zhu Xiaofeng, Shanghai; Museum Of Handcraft Paper, Gaoligong, Tao, Trace Architecture Office, Hua Li, Beijing; Dali Museum Of Contemporary Art, Dali, Studio Pei-Zhu, Zhu Pei, Beijing; Earthly Pond Service Centre, Qingdao, HHD_Fun, Wang Zhenfei, Wang Luming, Li Hongyu, Beijing; Suzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, Suzhou, Vector Architects, Gong Dong, Beijing.   Read more