Professor, Department of Landscape Planning and Design, College of Art Design and Media, East China University of Science and Technology
Associate, Harvard CAMLab (Chinese Art Media Lab)
Ph.D., College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Historical Geography, Fudan University
Visiting Scholar, Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University
Awardee of Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program

Led the completion of two national-level research projects, over ten provincial/ministerial and international collaborative research projects, and directed hundreds of planning, architectural, and heritage conservation projects. Published more than 80 academic papers.

Editorial Roles:

Guest Editor, Religions (AHCI-indexed)

Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications (IJAAA)

Honors & Awards:

[1] Oct 2013
Paper Experimental Exploration of Ecological Rural Housing in Jiaoyang Township, Shanghang, Fujian awarded Excellent Paper Award at the 2013 Annual Conference of the Architectural Society of China.

[2] Jan 2015
Principal Investigator for Planning Research and Design of Chuzhou Millennium Pavilion City awarded Second Prize in the 2014 Beijing Outstanding Engineering Consulting Achievements.

[3] Dec 2015
Recognized as Outstanding Instructor for the 2015 ECUST (East China University of Science and Technology) Summer Social Practice Program.

[4] Jan 2016
Principal Investigator for Detailed Planning and Design of the Scientific Research Campus for the Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences awarded Second Prize in the 2015 Beijing Outstanding Engineering Consulting Achievements.

[5] Oct 2020
Selected for the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program (2020).

Academic Appointments

Associate, Harvard CAMLab (China Art Media Lab)

Peer Review Expert, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

Expert Committee Member, Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Development Center, Ministry of Education

Think Tank Expert, National Architecture Institute of China

Vice Secretary-General & Council Member, Architectural History Branch, The Architectural Society of China

Deputy Director & Vice Chair of Expert Committee, Religious Culture and Tourism Committee, National Architecture Institute of China

Academic Committee Member, Vernacular Architecture Branch, The Architectural Society of China

Council Member, Shanghai Urban Science Research Society

Academic Committee Member, Rural Construction Committee, Shanghai Architectural Society

Founding Member, Global University for Sustainability

History of Chinese Classical Gardens & Jiangnan Classical Gardens

Architectural History and Theory

Urban and Rural Heritage Conservation

Selected Publications (Last Five Years):

[1] Aibin Yan, Shiyi Zhu. (2023). Spatialization of Imperial Power: Spatial Reconstruction and Power Operation of Jinshan Temple during the Southern Inspection Tours of Emperor Kangxi. Religions, 15(1), 7.

[2] Weiqiao Wang, Aibin Yan*. (2023). Body and Space—Study on the Spatial Constructing of Mogao Cave 254. Religions, 14(7), 953.

[3] Yiwei Pan, Aibin Yan*. (2021). Legends, Inspirations and Space: Landscape Sacralization of the Sacred Site Mount Putuo. Religions, 12(12), 1050.

[4] Aibin Yan, Dinghan Zheng. (2024). Restoration and Integration of the Huang Family Garden within the Contemporary Urban Fabric of Shanghai. Urban Resilience & Sustainability, 2(1), 27-41.

[5] Aibin Yan, Shiyi Zhu. (2023). Osvald Sirén’s Photography and the Conceptual Shift in Chinese Classical Gardens in the 1930s–1940s. Architectural Journal, 5, 95-100. (in Chinese)

[6] Aibin Yan, Shiyi Zhu. (2023). Exploring Visual Space in the Depictions of Jingkou’s Three Mountains in the Mid-to-Late Ming Dynasty. Landscape Architecture, 6, 130-137. (in Chinese)

[7] Yiwei Pan, Aibin Yan*. (2023). Spatial Narrative and Sacred Practice in Guanyin Belief. Architectural Heritage, 2. (in Chinese)

[8] Aibin Yan, Shiyi Zhu. (2024). From Floating Jade Island to Mountain-City Integration: The Construction of Spatial Order in Jingkou’s Three Mountains and Its Regional Context. Journal of Architectural History, 1. (in Chinese)

[9] Aibin Yan. (2023). Effortless Mastery, Precision in Detail: Revisiting Fangta Garden’s Helou Pavilion. Aesthetic Studies, 4. (in Chinese)

[10] Shiyi Zhu, Aibin Yan*. (2023). Interaction of Image-Scenery and Power Dynamics in the Construction of Jingkou’s Three Mountains during Emperor Qianlong’s Southern Tours. Traditional Chinese Architecture and Gardens, 12(169). (in Chinese)

[11] Aibin Yan. (2022). Yu Garden Through 400 Years: Reading the Grandeur of Ming Dynasty Gardens in the Heart of Shanghai. Wenhui Daily (Arts & Criticism Column), Jan 7. (in Chinese)

[12] Aibin Yan, Hao Li. (2024). Between Temple and Garden: The Evolution of Flower Goddess Temples in Shanghai Since the Ming Dynasty. Chinese Landscape Architecture, 9(41), 48-56. (in Chinese)

[1] Aibin Yan, Biyu Wu. (2022). A Treatise on the Gardens of Jiangnan (English Translation of 《江南园林论》). Springer, August 2022.

[2] Aibin Yan. (2010). Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture (21st Edition): Part Two, China, Chapter 22. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, pp. 486–503.

[3] Shuishan Yu, Aibin Yan (Eds.). (2022). Buddhist Architecture in East Asia. MDPI, September 2022.

[4] Shuishan Yu, Aibin Yan (Eds.). (2025). Space for Worship in East Asia. MDPI, March 2025.

[1] 2020.10–2023.12
Principal Investigator, Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program Project: Pattern and Degree: Research on Flexible Landscape Control Methods of Jiangnan Traditional Gardens and Their Contemporary Applications (Project No. 2020PJC021).

[2] 2018.1–2023.9
Principal Investigator, National Social Science Fund of China – Academic Translation Project: A Treatise on the Gardens of Jiangnan (Project Approval No. 17WYS003).

[3] 2015.1–2018.12
Principal Investigator, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Project: Study on the Construction Techniques and Dissemination of Stone Architecture in Coastal Zhejiang and Fujian (Project No. 51478185).

[4] 2017.1–2017.12
Principal Investigator, Shanghai Design Science IV Peak Discipline International Joint Laboratory Open Fund Project: Traditional Wisdom in Shanghai's Urban and Rural Construction and Its Contemporary Design Applications (Project Approval No. DB17030).

[5] 2023.2–2023.9
Principal Investigator, Sub-project of the National Cultural and Tourism Technology Innovation Project: VR Reconstruction and Modeling of Garden Spaces for the Opera 'Daiyu Burying Fallen Flowers' (Project No. KJCXGC-2020-12-01).