She has received numerous awards, such as the WA China Architecture Award in 2006 and 2008, the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architect in 2019, and the 14th International Prize for Sustainable Architecture Gold Medal; in 2020, she was appointed an Honorary Fellow of American Institute of Architects.
She notes that her architectural interests likely were born out of her childhood home in Fujian – a large compound holding more than 100 people.
It is acupuncture – to respect the issues and circumstances of the individual, and by extension, local agricultural production and architectural heritage.
[6]This approach has been described as a "multi-layered socio-economic healing process" producing prosperity that incentivizes life in rural regions.
Songyang wanted to promote rural tourism and a form of nostalgia as part of an idea of national rejuvenation.
She has developed a series of thoughtful projects that promote the region's cultural heritage, such as a brown-sugar factory in the village of Xing (2016) that theatrically displays for visitors the artisanal process, and a memorial hall in Wang (2017), which tells the story of a legendary 14th-century scholar, Wang Jing, a native of the village.
These projects not only have helped slow down the rural exodus from Songyang but also have attracted city dwellers, both tourists and new residents.
[7]The architecture attempts to work within the spirit of the village, while also putting forth a neutral, minimal form in order to avoid "competition" with the artwork.