Wangshu

Wangshu is a name that can refer to multiple subjects in Chinese culture and language, and its meaning depends on the characters used and the context.

In Chinese mythology, Wangshu (望舒) is a moon deity mentioned in early literature. The name is associated with the Moon’s movement across the night sky, and in various traditions she is described as a celestial figure linked to lunar light. As with many mythic figures from ancient texts, there is no single canonical depiction, and references to Wangshu appear in different sources and scholarly discussions of Daoist cosmology and folklore.

In modern times, Wang Shu (born 1963) is a prominent Chinese architect and educator whose name is often spelled with a space in English. He co-founded Amateur Architecture Studio with Lu Wenyu. Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu jointly won the Pritzker Prize in 2012 for work that blends local materials, traditional craft, and contemporary design thinking. Notable projects include the Ningbo Museum and the Xiangshan Campus of the China Academy of Art, both recognized for their material honesty and dialogue with place and history.

The term can also occur as a place name or transliteration in various Chinese-speaking regions, where the specific characters and pronunciation may vary. Because pinyin mappings can correspond to multiple characters, “Wangshu” is not uniquely identifying without additional context. In practice, the intended reference is clarified by accompanying information such as the Chinese characters, regional context, or biographical details.