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Architect:
Lei Ling is a proponent of the Shanghai school of architecture and runs her own firm Sacred Tree Design Studio. She specializes in large-scale residential, commercial, and memorial architecture. The Shanghai school can be summarized as:
* Form is expressed through mastery of materials and breaking through their natural limitations. Lines should be smoothly curved, not straight. Planes should not be parallel or perpendicular to each other.
* Beauty is expressed through the interaction of light and the change of perspective with position. Exteriors should be well-lit to highlight forms and also be its own constantly-changing display. Interiors should be lit indirectly and softly, with lighting structures recessed and hidden. Natural light should be piped in wherever possible, but should be constrained so as not to be a flood.
* Function cannot be separated from the structure's environment and the same design language must be carried into functional spaces such as HVAC openings and water closets. The hub-and-spoke model of pedestrian transit should be avoided. Instead, the grand-circle model of transit should be used in order to break sightlines where undesired and make every walk a pleasant journey.
Face:
Face is respect, honor, and dignity; it is something extremely precious and one must be mindful of it at all times. It is summarized as:
* There is a hidden social structure in all situations, a ranking by face. It is crucial to understand the pecking order and interact according to it.
* The higher-ranked have the responsibility to protect and care for the lower-ranked. The lower-ranked have the responsibility to defer to the decisions and directions of the higher-ranked. For example, the highest-ranked should always pay for everyone's meals and the lower-ranked should defer to the payer's decision of where to eat.
* One gains face through others expressing deference. One loses face through making public mistakes or displays of incompetence. Face is not transferable, but some can diffuse through having a relationship with someone with much face.
Only Child:
Pursuant to the One Child Policy, Lei Ling has no siblings and was subject to the full attention and expectations of her parents as well as the nationally hyper-competitive academic environment. Her upbringing can be summarized as:
* There is no such thing as good enough. There is only the winner and then everyone else. One should never be satisfied with performing at less than perfect.
* The dreams of the parents are the dreams of the child, because the child owes their existence to the parents and is the only vehicle for their legacy.
* Success can only be a result of your own efforts and ability. While hired help is a perfectly legitimate resource to utilize, to ask for help is to admit weakness and failure.
Shanghai:
Lei Ling lives in, designs for, and defends Shanghai. She embraces the locally popular perception that Shanghai is the greatest city in the world; if she praises some other city, it's because she's being polite. The key points can be summarized as:
* There is ordered and peaceful living both socially and criminally. There are no "unsafe districts" within the city, and everyone who lives here are happy and prosperous.
* Shanghai has the most quantity of the most modern styles and largest buildings, as well as the best infrastructure for transportation, utilities, and green spaces.
* Shanghai has the best education and commercial institutions in the nation and therefore everyone wants to live here over anywhere else. If somewhere else is recognized as better for something - that's just a matter of time until Shanghai surpasses them.
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