Shanghai, June 17, 2025, The signing ceremony for the Tongji University I.M. Pei Library & Research Center drew widespread attention from the architectural and educational communities. Notable attendees included Cui Renyuan (President of Pei Partnership Architects, China Region), Ding Qiwen and Wang Zhengyang (representatives of Pei Partnership Architects), Lu Yuzong (Chairman of Guanghua Education Group and Tongji alumnus, Class of 1987), Lu Yingnan (Deputy Secretary-General of Tongji University Education Development Foundation and Executive Vice Chair of Tongji University Labor Union), Guo Xiang (Secretary of Tongji University Library Party Committee), Wang Jingjing (Deputy Director of Tongji University Archives), Fang Fan (Deputy Secretary-General of Tongji University Education Development Foundation), and esteemed scholars from Tongji University's College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP), including Professor Li Zhenyu, Professor Zhang Peng, Professor Wang Yi, Professor Huang Yiru, Professor Lu Yongyi, Associate Professor Qian Feng (female), Associate Professor Wang Kai, Associate Professor Zhang Ting, and Dr. Liu Yige. The event, hosted by Professor Philip F. Yuan, Vice Dean of CAUP, formalized a landmark collaboration between Tongji University and Pei Partnership Architects, celebrating the enduring ties between the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei and Tongji University, where he was named Honorary Professor (1985) and Honorary Doctor (1986)—his first academic honors in China.

Pei's son, Li Chung Pei, Chairman of Pei Partnership Architects, joined Tongji Dean Wang Lan, alumni, faculty, and students for the signing. In her remarks, Dean Wang emphasized the center's role in advancing architectural education and research, stating, This partnership will ignite innovation and nurture future architects by honoring I.M. Pei's vision of harmonizing tradition and modernity. Li Chung Pei echoed this sentiment, noting, This center bridges my father's legacy with Tongji's academic excellence, inspiring creativity and fostering a deeper understanding of his design philosophy.

The collaboration was bolstered by a generous donation from Tongji alumnus Lu Yuzong, who established the I.M. Pei Cultural Fund to support the center's renovation and programming. The library, housed within CAUP's existing facility, will host exhibitions, conferences, and lectures exploring Pei's work.

During a post-signing symposium titled Inheriting I.M. Pei's Architectural Legacy, faculty and alumni recalled Pei's deep connections to Tongji. Professor Li Zhenyu, a student of Chen Congzhou (a close friend of Pei's), shared anecdotes of their camaraderie, including Chen's role as landscape consultant for Beijing's Fragrant Hills Hotel. Professor Lu Yongyi, who attended Pei's 1986 lecture at Tongji's 129 Auditorium, reflected, In the 1980s, Pei's works opened our eyes to modern architecture's potential. Associate Professor Qian Feng highlighted Pei's Harvard GSD ties with Tongji's founding dean, Huang Zuoshen, noting their shared pursuit of a Chinese modernity.

Li Chung Pei, moved by the tributes, underscored his father's roots in Shanghai and Suzhou: His archives will reside at Harvard and MIT, but here, his work becomes part of your curriculum—a testament to its relevance in the places that shaped him. He urged students to absorb his principles, not replicate his forms, emphasizing architecture's role in transcending time and place.

The center, slated to open in 2026, will serve as a global hub for Pei's architectural ethos, ensuring his legacy endures through education, research, and cross-cultural dialogue.