In China's unprecedented upsurge of construction since the late 1970s,
one of the leading forces is the state-owned design institutes, which
are distinguished by their associations with the central government.
Taking CAG (China Architecture Design and Research Gruop), a renowned
design institute as an example, this book summarizes the common and
consistent features of the design practice of the institute in the
post-Mao era, and analyzes an underlying socio-political mechanism that
is driving the design practice. This book argues for a collectivist
perspective for a proper assessment of the state-owned design institutes
in China, and a general collectivism in critical discussions on
architecture beyond the case in China.