Just as the architecture world is getting on an even keel with China it's President goes all nationalist on our ass. Xi Jinping called for an 'end to weird looking buildings' last week.
With China's construction industry booming, many companies with in the country and all over the world rely on China as the only place to do something innovative as well as prop up their other offices during slow times. Xi Jinping maintains that catchy buildings like the CCTV building 'no longer should be built in China's cities'.
I agree that China has been a bit hasty to import foreign stamps when there is a slew of excellent home grown architects blending modernism with traditional Chinese influences. Ma Yansong, MAD Architects and Prizker Prize winning noted uber regionalist, Wang Shu, to name a modest few. So I'm glad that there is some sort of conversation happening, I just hope it's not hurtful to the industry as a whole.
On the one hand, the Chinese government is always tying to shun outside influence and maintain that everything wrong and shit with their society is the fault of foreigners. But on the other, it could be a shrewd and clever move to tackle corruption. Lets face it a starchitect goliath costs a pretty penny and how do cities fund their shining city center piece, through corrupt dirty money. So it makes sense the premier wants to shut down these endeavors, even if the entire two hour statement reads like he's an Maoist old duffer that just doesn't like contemporary architecture. Or maybe it's supposed to sound like that...
Read up on it yourself here at the Archdaily.
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