Outside China, architect Zhou Qi is best known for the People's Daily headquarters, a Beijing tower that went viral in 2013 when social media users drew attention to its distinctly phallic appearance. But the building's notoriety does a disservice to its designer. Not only did the 590-foot (180-meter) skyscraper go on to win an international award (the viral photographs had been taken during construction), it also distracts from a distinguished architectural career. Zhou may design the occasional high-rise, but he spends most of his time restoring treasured pre-war buildings in his home city of Nanjing.
