TENG KUN-YEN is a man of contradictions. He's an award-winning architect who has never built a house. And although the Chinese edition of Esquire named him the mainland's most stylish man last year, he has no interest in fashion.
Mainland media have also labelled him the most eligible bachelor and a trendsetter, but the Shanghai-based, Taiwan-born visionary has little time for such compliments. 'These titles are nothing but shallow symbols of materialism,' he says. 'I consider these an embarrassment. I hate being judged on what I wear or how much money I have.'
One honour the 54-year-old does cherish is a citation he earned last year from Unesco, the UN cultural organisation, for his role in revitalising Shanghai's Suzhou River warehouse district. This is where Teng planted the seeds for his dream of establishing a 'creative heaven' in Shanghai.
He had been shuttling between assignments in Taipei and his favourite mainland city for years when he spotted a three-storey grain warehouse once owned by Du Yuesheng, a 1920s mobster boss.
Despite its dilapidated condition, Teng saw potential in the art deco-style brick and timber structure. He rented it and used material salvaged from demolished buildings to restore it. While he retained much of the original structure, he installed skylights to add light to his new studio space.
Teng used part of the warehouse as an office and sub-let the rest to a magazine and property agent. 'It was meant to prosper as a haven for artists - just like SoHo in New York, and the Left Bank in Paris,' says Teng.