Shanshui City, the latest book from MAD Architects' founder and principal partner, Ma Yansong, received an international release in October 2014. The publishing of the book coincides with the 10th anniversary of the founding of MAD Architects. Ma's poetic, yet precise language details the development and practice of design philosophy "Shanshui City," at the core of which is the idea that, "architects should delineate a new ideal for the city of the future, to gradually construct an urban environment that embodies both the convenience of the modern city and the ancient Eastern affinity for the natural world." "Shanshui" is an idealized worldview developed by Chinese through extended contact with the natural world, a worldview that integrates the everyday life of humanity with the impulse to seek spiritual refuge in nature. This "Shanshui City" is not simply an eco-city, or a garden-city, nor does it imply modeling the city's architecture on natural forms such as mountains. It represents humanity's affinity for the natural world, and our quest for inner fulfillment, as expressed in philosophies of the East.
