Pei was exposed to both Eastern and Western values from an early age. His father was a successful banker. The family lived in the modern cities of Hong Kong and Shanghai, where Pei saw skyscrapers being built. He also spent summers with his grandfather in a rural village where he learned traditional Confucian ethics, particularly the hierarchy of respect for one's family.

Pei accompanied his mother on Buddhist retreats, learning to meditate in silence. She died when Pei was 13 years old. Soon after, he and his four siblings went to live with family caretakers.

Pei fondly remembers watching American movies that introduced him to the easy-going American lifestyle. He also liked playing billiards and later realized it helped him understand geometry. He completed high school in Shanghai, and at age 17, he sailed for America to study architecture.

I. M. Pei, Working sketch for building plan, National Gallery of Art East Building, winter 1969

I. M. Pei, Early conceptual sketch for building plan, National Gallery of Art East Building, fall 1968

I. M. Pei & Partners, East Building working study, c. October 1968

Young Adulthood

• Pei pursued architecture at MIT, where he learned the science and technology of building. After graduating in 1940, he went on to graduate school at Harvard University to study the emotional and rational sides of design under Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.
• Pei had intended to return to China after his studies, but war between Japan and China prevented him from doing so.
• He married Eileen Loo, a Chinese woman studying landscape architecture. They have three sons, two of whom are architects, and a daughter who is a lawyer.
• Pei took a job with a big real estate developer, designing commercial centers and public housing in American cities. He learned the practical and political skills of architecture and city planning.

J. Carter Brown (left), Director of the National Gallery of Art, and I. M. Pei at a press conference announcing the design plans for the new NGA East Building, May 5, 1971

National Gallery of Art East Building, 4th Steet façade

International Architect

In 1955, Pei became an American citizen and founded his own architecture firm. He went on to create dramatic buildings known for their angular geometry, expansive glass and concrete walls, spacious indoor atriums, and space-frame skylights.

Examples of Pei's work:

• 1965–79: The John F. Kennedy Library, Boston
• 1968–78: National Gallery of Art, East Building, Washington, D.C.
• 1979–82: Fragrant Hill Resort Hotel, Beijing
• 1982–89: Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong
• 1983–89: Musée du Louvre, expansion, Paris
• 1987–95: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland
• 1991–97, Miho Museum, Shiga, Japan

I. M. Pei, Musée du Louvre, expansion, Paris, 1983–89

I. M. Pei, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, 1987–95

I. M. Pei, Miho Museum, Shiga, Japan, 1991–1997

		Pei describes his process: "I found that I could draw faster in my head than on paper . . . I can construct a space in my mind . . . I draw (only) to express my ideas to the people who work with me." "Light is of paramount importance to buildings. Without the play of light, form is inert and space becomes static. I would like to think that when I design buildings, light is one of my first considerations." "You have to make it exciting . . . that is something I learned from Chinese gardens . . . constant movement and change. You have to create surprises so that you make people want to discover more." "I come back to the city . . . it is rather rigidly geometric. You never can separate a building from the place where it's standing." "A piece of architecture is the embodiment of a combination of factors: time, place and use . . . it is the where, the when and the why that a work must address, convincingly and eloquently and with style. To me that is the heart of architecture."

		Pei's Honors and Awards There are far too many to list! They include: the Medal of Liberty, given to foreign born U.S. citizens for contributions to American life and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects.