The Chinese-born American architect(建筑师) Ieoh Ming Pei is one of the most creative architects of our times. He has incorporated(混合) both eastern and western ideas into his designs.
Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Guangzhou, China on April 26, 1917. His father was a famous banker. In
1935, at the age of 17, he came to the United States to study architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1942, he entered the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy chose Pei to design the Kennedy Library. After that he became well-known all over the world. People named it one of the best buildings in the United States. In 1968, Pei started working on the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C. Over one million people visited the building during its first 50 days in existence. Following the East Wing project Pei's fame has continued to grow widely. In 1983, French President commissioned(委任) Pei to help make the Louvre more modern. Ten years later, the completion of Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre created a new historic landmark for Paris. Pei described it as "the greatest challenge and greatest achievement of my career". At Fragrant Hill, a 300-room hotel in the Chinese capital, Pei has tried to bring to his native China his often-quoted(被引用的) "third way of making buildings". Avoiding both an entire(完全的) copying of traditional Chinese features as well as the modernism of the West, Pei has managed, at Fragrant Hill, to make one of his most convincing statements.
Pei has designed nearly 50 projects in the United States and abroad. About half of these projects have won major prizes. Pei has been presented the highest honors from nations all over the world. In 1990, Pei was presented the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush for his contributions(贡献) to world peace and service to the US government.
