“Architectural acupuncture,” the philosophy by which Xu Tiantian practices, has resulted in extraordinary feats of social and economic revitalization in rural China. As founding principal of DnA _Design and Architecture, Tiantian’s work includes the transformation of a quarry into an opera stage; the construction of a viewing platform on an ancient bridge that reunites the two villages on either side; and the adaptive reuse of a building into a public gathering place nestled in an old village.

Her work has been selected by UN Habitat as the case study of Inspiring Practice on Urban-Rural Linkages. In 2020, she was appointed an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.