Professor Shiling Zheng, male, born in 1941, hailing from Huiyang, Guangdong Province, graduated from the Department of Architecture from Tongji University in 1965. He obtained his PhD degree in History and Theory of architecture from Tongji University in 1993. Now, he is the professor and doctoral supervisor of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, director of the Institute of Architecture & Urban Space, Tongji University. He once acted as the dean of College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University and the President of Tongji University, etc. Currently, he acts as the Chairman of the Urban Development Strategy Committee of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Urban Planning. Also, he is one of the members of the Discipline Evaluation Group of the State Council, the Membere de l’Académie d’Architecture of France. He was elected to be a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001.

Professor ZHENG has been engaged in combining design and architecture theories for more than 30 years in his architectural creations and practices and has been pursuing the academic value of creation activities. Also, by integrating academic thoughts into architecture teaching, he forms ground-breaking architecture teaching thoughts, establishes the theoretical framework for the Value System and Symbolism of Architecture, and lays fundamental theory for architectural criticism. Professor ZHENG has been undertaking theoretical research, architecture teaching and architectural creation activities for a long time and published 4 monographs,2 translated works, more than 50 papers and theses in domestic and international academic periodicals, journals and in international conferences. In addition, he has delivered 35 design works.

With his main publications On the Rationality of Architecture and Architecture Criticism, he establishes the cutting-edge and pioneering theoretical framework of Value System and Symbolism of Architecture. In Architecture Criticism, he offers critical thinking for the development of architecture in the future, lays theoretical foundation for this integrated discipline and fills the gap in this field. This theory is used in the architecture criticism and construction practices in Shanghai and plays important role.   The Evolution of Shanghai Architecture in Modern Times, one of his monographs, won the first prize of 2000 Excellent Books in Shanghai.

In his architecture creation practices, he always focuses on the historical and cultural connotation and artistry of architectures, and the expression of the academic value of creation activities. Based on these thoughts, he has completed many excellent design works, and 6 of them won province and ministry-level awards. Shanghai Municipal Government has adopted his proposal of taking the waterfront of Huangpu River and Suzhou River as the core of urban space, which boosts the development of urban construction.