Chinese architect Liu Jiakun awarded 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize

Chinese architect Liu Jiakun delivers a speech during the award ceremony of 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, May 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Wen Xinnian)

ABU DHABI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese architect Liu Jiakun received the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize at a ceremony held at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Monday, becoming the 54th laureate of the profession's highest international honour and only the second Chinese citizen to earn the accolade.

Liu was recognized for work that "celebrates the everyday lives of ordinary people and highlights collective identity and spiritual aspiration," said Alejandro Aravena, chair of the Pritzker Prize Jury and the 2016 laureate.

Aravena cited Liu's signature project -- the West Village Base in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province -- as a defining example of how the architect's work "redefines the paradigm of public space and community life." Liu was born in Chengdu in 1956, and much of his practice remains rooted in the city.

Tom Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt Foundation, which established the award in 1979, praised Liu for "bringing communities together through architecture, inspiring humanistic care, and elevating the human spirit."

In his acceptance speech, Liu invoked traditional Chinese philosophy, stressing the importance of "living in harmony with nature." He described architecture not simply as a profession, but as "a continuous response to society and the human spirit."

More than 200 guests attended the ceremony, including Chinese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Zhang Yiming, current jury members, past laureates, and other leading figures from the worlds of architecture, diplomacy, and culture.

The Pritzker committee announced Liu's selection in March. He follows Wang Shu, who received the award in 2012, as the second Chinese architect to be honored. ■