The AA

Urbanity From the Ocean – China

Programmes

AA Visiting School

Urbanity From the Ocean – China

Map of Yantai and Xiamen, by K.B. Izac Tsai, 2025

Dates

Summer 2026

Brief

AA Visitng School Urbanity From the Ocean: China – Sailing the Silk Oceans Between North and South（南北丝航）

The AAVS 2025 programme, Urbanity From the Ocean: China, embarks on a journey across two coastal legacies — Yantai in the north and Xiamen in the south — both shaped by the tides of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and the dynamics of contemporary global trade.

In Yantai, where maritime life has thrived since 2000 BC, the historic port stands as a living archive of cultural exchange across East Asia. Once a vital node connecting China with Japan and Korea, Yantai today forms part of a thriving port cluster with Qingdao, Rizhao, Weihai, and Busan — moving 1.71 billion tonnes of goods in 2023 alone. While the new port drives economic growth and urban transformation, the old harbour, a UNESCO heritage site, draws millions of visitors to its centuries-old streets, even as its authenticity is debated amid rising commercialisation.

In contrast, Fujian’s Golden Triangle — the ports of Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou — once shimmered as the East’s gateway to the Roman Empire. Quanzhou, famed as Zaytun, was a vibrant medieval hub where Marco Polo encountered global cultures in motion. Today, this region reinvents itself as a modern trade engine for goods from electronics to petrochemicals, anchored by a national strategy to enhance maritime infrastructure and manufacturing.

Spanning 21 days, this AAVS programme invites participants to travel between the northern city of Yantai and the southern city of Xiamen to explore their intertwined heritage with the ancient Maritime Silk Road and their emerging urban identities shaped by contemporary geoeconomic forces. Through fieldwork, analysis, and design experimentation, we will examine how ancient maritime heritage can inspire new forms of urbanity — seeking innovative, resilient models for coastal futures in the wake of historical flows and strategic trade networks.

KEY FEATURES OF THE WORKSHOP AND LEARNING GOALS

Train students and professionals in multi-scale, multidisciplinary design strategies for urban and landscape projects.
Teach analysis of urban processes using landscape models, GIS, and digital tools.
Develop skills in communicating design concepts across various platforms.
Foster open-minded, critical thinking in urban and landscape implementations.
Conduct long-term research on cartographic representation and socio-economic analysis as design tools.
Explore theories and techniques addressing planetary urbanization and landscape challenges.
Integrate economic concepts and policymaking into innovative design practices.

Fees

• £60 — mandatory, non-refundable deposit (paid on application) that covers the AA Digital Membership for a year and is deducted from the total programme fee.

• £590 — Standard Programme Fee (including a 1-year AA Digital Membership worth £60)

• £530 — AA Member Fee

• £424 —AA Full-time Student Fee

• £450 — Fee for Full-time students of Melbourne University

Fees do not include flights or accommodation, but accommodation options can be advised. Students need to bring their own laptops, digital equipment and model making tools.

Applications

• Click "Apply" button on this webpage.

• Create an account or log in, then complete the online application form. Pay the £60 deposit to proceed.

• Log in to your Application Portal to finalize full fee payment and monitor your application status (step-by-step guide on using the Application Portal)

Deposit payment holds your place on the course but does not confirm it. A CV, Portfolio or Cover Letter are not required for standard applications. Full-time AA Students and Melbourne University Students must register with their university email to automatically apply the reduced fee. If you cannot apply online, contact the Visiting School Office.

Deadline for standard applications is 21 June 2025.

Eligibility

AAVS Taiwan is welcoming students from all disciplines with curiosity and creativity to join our research.

Visas

All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required and are advised to contact their home embassy early. An official Confirmation letter can be issued by AA Visiting School confirming enrolment onto the programme once an applicant has settled their deposit payment.

Insurance

All participants are responsible for securing their own travel and health insurance. Please ensure that your travel insurance also covers your personal belongings i.e. laptop, equipment, tools, passport etc. The AA takes no responsibility for lost/ stolen property.

Biographies

Programme Heads:

Doreen Bernath is an architect and a theorist trained at the University of Cambridge and the Architectural Association (AA). She is currently Executive Editor of The Journal of Architecture, trustee of the Society of Architectural Historian Great Britain, and a co-founder of research collectives ThisThingCalledTheory and Translocality. In parallel to teaching widely at different institutions, she teaches at the AA across PhD and postgraduate programmes and her publications have appeared internationally. She was a founding-director of the interdisciplinary platform DEZACT and AAVS Uncommon Walks ‘Pedestric Radicals’, as well as co-leader of MArch research and design studio Cinematic Commons at Leeds School of Architecture. She is also the co-founder of research agency Office At Sea.

K.B. Izac Tsai is a designer, an architect, an artist, a researcher, a historian, a theorist, a radio programme producer and presenter. He finished his RIBA part I and II at the AA and had also completed his Bachelors in Mass Communications and Masters in Marketing in Canada and the United States. His PhD at the Architectural Association focuses in economic and maritime history of cities in the Far East and Southeast Asia. He has competed and shortlisted in design competitions, and has been invited to present his work at London School of Economics, University of Norwich and University of Denver. He has taught at Leeds School of Architecture and University of Norwich. He is currently developing a multi-disciplinary platform for art, architecture, design, research and media that bridges knowledge from different backgrounds to experiment new possibilities. He is the founder of design studio Atelier KBITA (Taipei) and THE EMBASSY BÜRÓ (London) and co-founder of research agency Office At Sea.