On the afternoon of November 2, the Architectural Sub-Forum of the International Art Education Conference, "Challenges: Reflexive Perspectives on Architectural Thoughts, Education and Practice”, opened in the North District Auditorium of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Professor ZHU Pei, Dean of Central Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, first welcomed more than 50 guests from all over the world and put forward the theme of "Challenges: Reflexive Perspectives on Architectural Thoughts, Education and Practice", aiming at discussing the current situation and sharing thoughts and responses to challenges.

The forum took place at an important historical timing: the 100th anniversary of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, as well as the upcoming hundred years of Bauhaus. During one hundred years of global ups and downs, these two colleges have both produced an intriguing response with the concept of open and compatible education.

ZHU Pei analyzed the current overall background of the time: huge technological progress has brought rapid social development and change, and the future seems to be no longer under the precise control of rationality. Do we still believe that the power of creation can lead us into a rational future? In the process of globalization, the political and geographic space has been fragmented, and people's desire as a whole has been dispelled during the fight of various forces. Therefore, ZHU Pei pointed out that we are facing the challenges of the time of "utopian disillusionment" and "community disintegration"

In the field of architecture, compared with the characteristics of the time, our construction core is slow to update, inefficient to operate, and the classical education model has been widely impacted. In response to such a series of challenges, ZHU Pei put forward many topics for discussion. Therefore, this forum will also focus on three aspects: architectural thoughts, architectural education and architectural practice.

In the past 40 years since China's reform and opening up policy, we have gone through the process of super-concentrated modernization, breaking through the template of western development, and the future is unknown. As the leader of the Architectural College of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, ZHU Pei also considered the challenges facing him from the standpoint of the Academy: firstly, the cultural significance of architecture beyond engineering has been depreciated by utilitarian society; secondly, it is difficult for the Central Academy of Fine Arts to find a clear development template under the situation that the Eastern and Western architectural education is in urgent need of transformation.

Facing with the double challenges of the time and disciplines, ZHU Pei advocated the establishment of a healthy and benign global architecture education ecology - "community ecology", which will have a new structure that are multi-form, porous, flexible, interconnected and fast iterating to adapt to the time. It will have high productivity, strong individual vitality, rich diversity of ideas, education and practice, and release historical driving force to the global social ecology. On the establishment of this ecology, ZHU Pei said that the Central Academy of Fine Arts would like to be an active organizer and connecter, and this forum is the first step.

Finally, ZHU Pei once again expressed his welcome to the guests and expectations for the outcome of the conference.