Shanghai's Quirky Architecture
September 29th 2006 06:23
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If you live in the Occident your image of the city probably involves a lot of skyscrapers with perhaps one or two prominent, distinguishing landmarks (usually the main tourist draws). Can you imagine a city where almost every feature is as salient as the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Los Angeles Disney Concert Hall? Shanghai happens to be the most architecturally adventurous of a few up-and-coming (post)modern Chinese cities that make their Western counterparts look frighteningly dull in comparison.
Shanghai is like a postmodernist's Disneyland, where old colonial relics mingle with modernist-style high rise buildings, giving 'anything goes' new meaning. What is very ironic about this esoteric level of eclecticism is that it conjures up thoughts of a postmodern metropolis, yet the typical Shanghainese who is required to support the Communist state isn't familiar with what postmodernism involves. I hope that China becomes a democracy someday and is able to use its innovative cityscape to reinvent its conceptual identity.
This image of One Kooky, Futuristic Setting was taken from http://www.windrose.de/reisefinder/reise_ universal.asp?rid=1337&loc=/city_ breaks/city_result.asp
Shanghai is like a postmodernist's Disneyland, where old colonial relics mingle with modernist-style high rise buildings, giving 'anything goes' new meaning. What is very ironic about this esoteric level of eclecticism is that it conjures up thoughts of a postmodern metropolis, yet the typical Shanghainese who is required to support the Communist state isn't familiar with what postmodernism involves. I hope that China becomes a democracy someday and is able to use its innovative cityscape to reinvent its conceptual identity.
This image was taken from http://www.13amp.com/sparkblog /blogs/Xyberia/blog.cfm/.id.15
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Comment by Chantal
Love your writing too
Chantal www.dropofpop.com