I was born and grew up in China. In 2005 I came to Switzerland to study at ETH Zurich for the Masters in Architecture. I was interested in the gap between the traditional and the modern in architecture in China and in Switzerland.

Now I am running an architecture design office SML Architektur GmbH in Zurich and teaching an architectural research project “The Culture of Water” at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Our association, the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Architects and Artists (SCAA), has many joint projects with ETH and other Chinese Universities. In addition, I am leading the ETH Alumni chapter Beijing. By combining academia, practice, and intercultural exchange, I am interested in exploring new connections in both of these contexts, and I think the ETH Circle is a great idea which can help me develop this.

There is a lot which comes with the ETH brand, but we can also look beyond that. In the ETH Circle, you can connect with different people who really would like to actively contribute, and who recognize the value of ETH. I really believe in the promise of working with the ETH Circle Members, also because of the fact that they are not only alumni of ETH. They have shared values. In life, we can be very goals-oriented, but we also have a social responsibility – I believe the ETH Circle is a way to give back, not just for us to get something.