Qingyun Ma founded the Shanghai architectural firm MADA s.p.a.m. (strategy, planning, architecture and media) in 1996, and is currently the Dean of the USC School of Architecture. Before joining a panel at the Getty to discuss “the New China” and influences of the Cultural Revolution, he answered a few questions in the Green Room.
Q. What teacher or professor changed your life?
A. My math teacher in high school. I don’t even remember his name.
Q. What talent do you wish you had?
A. Piano playing.
Q. What surprises you most about your life?
A. Girls.
Q. What do you wish you had the courage to do?
A. Be a soccer star.
Q. What’s the last habit you tried to kick?
A. Saunas.
Q. What do you do to clear your mind?
A. Swim.
Q. What is something that few people know about you?
A. I’ve only had one girlfriend.
Q. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A. Never bargain for your salary.
Q. What is your biggest weakness?
A. Drinking.
Q. What is your favorite holiday and why?
A. The Chinese New Year because I can get drunk without feeling bad.
Q. Who would write your biography?
A. Me.
Read about the panel in which Dean Ma participated here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido