The Chinese-born American architect Ieoh Ming Pei is one of the most creative architects of our times. He has incorporated both eastern and western ideas into his designs. Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Guangzhou, China on April 26, 1917. His father was a famous banker. In 1935, at the age of 17, he came to the United States to study architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1942, he entered the Harvard Graduate School of Design.  In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy selected Pei to design the Kennedy library. After that he became well-known all over the world. People named it one of the Ten Best Buildings in the United States. In 1968, Pei started work on the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C. Over one million people visited the building during its first 50 days in existence. Following the East Wing project Pei's fame has continued to grow widely. In 1983, French President commissioned  Pei to help make the Louvre more modern. Ten years later, the completion of Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre created a new historic landmark for Paris. Pei described it as, "the greatest challenge and greatest accomplishment of my career." At Fragrant Hill, a 300-room hotel in the Chinese capital, Pei has attempted to bring to his native China his often-quoted "third way of making buildings." Avoiding both a complete copying of traditional Chinese motifs  as well as the modernism of the West, Pei has managed, at Fragrant Hill, to make one of his most eloquent  statements. Pei has designed nearly 50 projects in the United States and abroad. About half of these projects have won major awards. Pei has been awarded the highest honors from nations over the world. In 1990, Pei was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush for his contributions to world peace and service to the US government. _   is an excellent building that shows both the traditional Chinese motifs and the modernism of the West.
The East Wing of the National Gallery of Art Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre Fragrant Hill Kennedy library