Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A global city
The first phase of Shanghai's
reconstruction began in the
1980s, when China first started
opening up. Prevailing talk
was of creating “capitalism
with Chinese characteristics”,
and accordingly scores of
international-style concrete-
and-glass high-rises were
built and given a Chinese
twist, such as a pagoda-
shaped “hat” atop the tower.
The template was the
Bank of
China
(see p.51) on the Bund,
built in 1934, though in truth
the original is more successful
than any of its imitators.
In the 1990s, with Shanghai
attempting to become a
global city, thirty percent of new projects were awarded to foreign architects. They
usually attempted at least a nod towards Chinese culture; one recurring theme has been
use of squares atop circles, as a reference to the Chinese idea that the earth is square,
heaven round - this is notable in French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier's
Shanghai
Grand Theatre
(see p.60). The most effectively Sinicized building has to be the
Jinmao
Tower
, whose proportions are built around the number eight - associated with prosperity
in Chinese culture - and whose tiered form constantly references pagoda design. Other
experiments have been unsuccessful, however - the “moon gate” (a traditional element
in Chinese gardens) originally designed to form the apex of the
World Financial Centre
,
for example, was taken for a Japanese flag, and had to be redesigned.
Furthermore, Shanghai's architectural revolution has not been without its critics. In China's
Wild West business environment, planning decisions are made in minutes and zoning laws
are light. Inconveniently located residents are brushed aside with minimal compensation
as their homes are bulldozed. The architects themselves complain that their projects are
bedevilled by cost-cutting and copying. And to cap it all, the city is becoming a victim of
its own success: the heavy new build area around Lujiazui is currently sinking at a rate of
1.5cm a year.
Still, construction continues
at a frantic pace. Exciting new
developments to look out for
include the revamp of the
southern stretch of the Huangpu
river in time for the 2010
World
Expo
and a econstructed
north Bund zone
, with a giant
ferris wheel at the centre. To
get a taste of what these new
areas will look like, head to
the Shanghai Urban Planning
Exhibition Hall (see p.60).
The Bank of China building
