Goodbye, Architect! My First Days on the Job

In modern times, as the call for reform and opening up rang out, the real estate industry emerged as a new sector in China in the 1990s and began to thrive. Architecture, a profession requiring specialized technical skills, became highly sought-after as real estate and infrastructure projects continued to expand.

Architects became a scarce resource. To meet the needs of the job market and the nation’s construction projects, many universities greatly expanded their enrollment. Architecture programs spread from the original eight leading architecture schools to universities in the 211 Project and even higher vocational colleges. One group of aspiring architects after another earned places at universities through fierce competition and high exam scores. After training, they entered society and the construction industry, pouring their passion and youth into building the nation and advancing the real estate sector.

And so began the journey of Duan Ran, an architect starting out at the grassroots level.