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在线翻译:
szdaily -> In depth -> 
China bans ‘bizarre’ and ‘odd-shaped’ architecture
    2016-03-01  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    A PAIR of shorts, a teapot, a horseshoe — Chinese architecture is known for portraying the weird and the wonderful.

    But a recent edict from China’s State Council may put an end to the country’s love affair with “bizarre” architecture.

    “Odd-shaped buildings would be forbidden,” said a China Daily news report that was posted last week on the State Council’s website.

    “Bizarre architecture that is not economical, functional, aesthetically pleasing or environmentally friendly will be forbidden, while construction techniques that generate less waste and use fewer resources, such as the use of prefabricated buildings, will be encouraged.”

    Huhua Cao, a geography professor at the University of Ottawa who was an architect in China in the 1980s, said that abstract architecture exploded during the country’s economic boom at the end of the 20th century.

    Gone were the days of strict, utilitarian building codes that emphasized function over form. Instead, modern, expressive, international styles flourished.

    “Then you see in China all forms of architecture exist,” Cao said.

    As China’s role as a world economic superpower has grown, it has become home to some of the world’s most prestigious (and unusual) buildings, such as the China Central Television Headquarters, which was completed in 2012.

    The Beijing building, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture, looks like a pair of boxer shorts.

    Another, a horseshoe-shaped hotel in Huzhou, was designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong, the same man behind the Absolute Towers in Mississauga.

    Other buildings are modeled after objects, such as the Meitan Tea Museum, which looks like a giant teapot and cup.

    While some might call this abstract art, President Xi Jinping says it’s just “weird.” The president spoke out against buildings such as the CCTV headquarters during a two-hour-long lecture at an arts symposium.

    During the lecture, he called for artists to promote socialist values and Chinese culture.

    “The creation of art can fly with the wings of imagination, but make sure art workers tread on solid earth,” he said, according to Xinhua News Agency.

    John Zacharias, a Canadian who teaches at the College of Architecture and Landscape at Peking University, said that the backlash against unusual buildings has grown over the past three years.

    “A lot of these buildings are hated by local people,” Zacharias said.

    Zacharias said the recent criticism stems from China’s economic slowdown. Many of these buildings are funded by municipalities with public money, he said, and they demand a lot of resources but provide little public benefit.

    But urban development will be key to China’s future success, Cao said. As more people move into cities, they will require a greater number of services and will invest more in their economy, he said.

    “Urbanization always brings the economy,” he said. “People bring a lot of needs, and these needs will translate into an economic force.”

    Xi has made growing China’s cities a priority in the coming years, and has spoken out about the need for more “innovation, co-ordination, greenness, openness and sharing in the urbanization process,” Xinhua reported.

    The recent directive against weird architecture came out of high-level government meetings on urbanization held late last year. (SD-Agencies)

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