China News Service, Beijing, March 31 (Liu Yue) In the eyes of Liang Zhouyang, his great-grandmother "Lin Huiyin" was a familiar stranger.

　　They had never met each other. When they were closest, they were separated by a tombstone, one inside and one outside. During his days in Beijing, Liang Zhouyang occasionally went to Babaoshan with his family to visit Lin Huiyin. The cemetery was solemn and quiet, and Liang Zhouyang's heart also calmed down.

　　You were born before I was born, but I was born before you were old. A long time ago, Liang Zhouyang regarded his great-grandmother as a beacon on the road of life. Almost every major trajectory coincided with her: they both grew up under the influence of Chinese and Western cultures. They both studied in foreign countries when they were young girls and chose to return to China to join the world after graduation. Ancient architecture business...

　　Year after year, following Lin Huiyin's footsteps, Liang Zhouyang walked unswervingly toward his dream.

  Shanxi Foguang Temple, Liang Zhouyang and his great-grandmother Lin Huiyin’s same check-in pose. Photo provided by interviewee

Dear great-grandmother, I have good news for you this time

　　This time, Liang Zhouyang brought good news to Lin Huiyin.

　　Three months ago, Professor Fritz Steiner, dean of the Weizman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, invited descendants of Lin Huiyin’s family to Beijing for talks. The school plans to invite Liang Zhouyang and his family to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States on May 18, 2024 to participate in Lin Huiyin’s degree supplementary ceremony. Prior to this, the University of Pennsylvania had announced that it would award Lin Huiyin with a late architecture degree.

　　Do not forget to tell Naiweng when offering family sacrifices. The Liang family decided to go to Lin Huiyin’s tomb on a sunny April morning in Beijing to express their heartfelt feelings. “If she knew about it, her soul in heaven would also feel at ease.”

　　Liang Zhouyang, who moved to the United States at the age of seven, had his first impression of Lin Huiyin as "an elder with a sense of distance." Lin Huiyin died in 1955 and Liang Zhouyang was born in the 1980s. Their trajectories did not overlap. However, as an adult, Liang Zhouyang enjoyed architectural aesthetics and began to read Lin Huiyin's works and appreciate his academic achievements. His once "strangeness" turned into "admiration". Lin Huiyin's dedication to the protection of ancient buildings deeply influenced Liang Zhouyang and became her spiritual pillar.

  Liang Zhouyang (first from right) and his father (second from left). Photo provided by interviewee

　　Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. In order to continue his great-grandmother's legacy, Liang Zhouyang traveled to 75 countries on 6 continents in just a few years, appreciating the characteristics of Western architecture during his travels. After her travels, she became interested in the preservation and restoration of ancient buildings.

　　In 2015, Liang Zhouyang joined the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, focusing on the protection and education of ancient buildings; in 2020, she became the youth director sponsor of the World Foundation for the Conservation of Architectural Heritage, and in 2024, she served as the founding sponsor of the Asia and China International Advisory Committee People, promoting the conservation, restoration and personnel training of architectural projects in Asia and China.

　　"I hope to use cultural communication to protect Asian and Chinese architecture and increase the international community's attention to Asian and Chinese culture." Liang Zhouyang said with a smile that this may be a "genetic awakening." After all, his great-grandparents took the lead in systematically tracing, mapping and recording ancient buildings in the 1930s, eventually recording more than 2,000 ancient buildings, enriching the history of Chinese architecture and improving the world status of Asian architecture.

　　The path that his great-grandparents took has now become the career that Liang Zhouyang works hard for. "From my great-great-grandfather Liang Qichao to my great-grandparents Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin, my ancestors have a very important influence on me. They allow me to choose my own direction and do things that are meaningful to society."

I'm not a socialite, I'm just an ordinary person

　　Great-great-grandfather Liang Qichao is famous in history. Great-grandparents Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin were famous architects in New China. Great-great-grandfather Zhou Peiyuan was the president of Peking University... In a sense, Liang Zhouyang in the eyes of the public can be said to have "saved the Milky Way in his previous life."

　　And her own achievements are worthy of such a noble family background: she holds an MBA from Oxford University's Said Business School, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and a bachelor's degree from George Washington University. On the other hand, while devoting herself to the restoration and protection of cultural heritage, she also managed her family business in an orderly manner.

　　With a prominent family background and a legendary life, Liang Zhouyang has his own "traffic code". The titles of queen of a famous family and socialite are overwhelming, but she feels disgusted by this. "Many people have sent me some media and self-media reports, portraying me as a so-called 'upper-class socialite.' I don't like such a title." Liang Zhouyang said bluntly: "I am not a socialite, I am an ordinary person. , just born in a 'not ordinary' family."

  Liang Zhouyang took a photo with ancient buildings. Photo provided by interviewee

　　The Liang family's family tradition and motto are in a line of their own. To this day, Liang Qichao's spirit still has a profound influence on the family, and it has not wavered after five generations. "The values ​​he emphasized have become the core of our education. He taught us to pursue our passions and contribute to society, rather than seeking fame and wealth."

　　Liang Zhouyang said that unlike many parents of "chicken babies" nowadays, her family did not set high and lofty academic goals for her, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University or overseas Ivy League schools.

　　In the process of growing up, Liang Zhouyang believed that God rewards hard work and worked hard to extend the path of life. "This open education method gave me a sense of security, love and strength. In my life choices, I felt the firm support of my family. Continuing their legacy Mission is the inheritance of a culture.”

　　What is inheritance? In the war-torn era, Liang Zhouyang's ancestors measured the land of China with their feet and left precious cultural heritage for future generations. Now born in the prosperous age and witnessing the rapid development of the motherland, Liang Zhouyang deeply feels that he has a mission on his shoulders. She is determined to inherit the legacy of her ancestors, protect the beauty of oriental architecture, and use her pen as a sword to continue writing the glory and pride of the nation - this is Liang Zhouyang's unswerving determination and pursuit as an "ordinary person". (over)