During a literary symposium in Beijing last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping read a two-hour speech addressing Chinese architects and artists who have contributed to China’s sizable stock of avant-garde structures.
Architects, along with authors, actors, script writers, and dancers, were urged by the president to not pursue commercial success at the expense of producing work with artistic and moral value, national news agency Xinhua reports. For architects specifically, the president encouraged them not to “engage in weird building.”
In his speech, Jinping said that art should “be like sunshine from the blue sky and the breeze in spring that will inspire minds, warm hearts, cultivate taste, and clean up undesirable work styles.”
He also reminisced how art and literature during his childhood—a period when China was going through the so-called Cultural Revolution—was more respectful to history.
Many news agencies, both Chinese and International, interpreted the president’s speech as a call to more patriotic, socialist, and nationalistic art closer to traditional Chinese aesthetics.
Hong Kong-based news agency Wen Wei Po says it means China won’t have any more da kuzi (“big pants”) in the future, the nickname Chinese Web denizens used for Rem Koolhas’ CCTV building in Beijing.
Â
The Guangzhou Circle. Wikimedia Commons/Amprogetti
Â
The CCTV Building in Beijing has been nicknamed "Big Pants." Wikimedia Commons/Verdgris
Related Stories
| Mar 12, 2014
New CannonDesign database allows users to track facility assets
The new software identifies critical failures of components and systems, code and ADA-compliance issues, and systematically justifies prudent expenditures.
| Mar 11, 2014
7 (more) awe-inspiring interior designs [slideshow]
The seven winners of the 41st Interior Design Competition and the 22nd Will Ching Design Competition include projects on four different continents.
| Mar 11, 2014
Freelon Group to join Perkins+Will
The Freelon Group concentrates on museums, libraries, universities and other civic and institutional clients; Perkins+Will plans to incorporate this specialization into their design repertory.
| Mar 10, 2014
Meet Tally – the Revit app that calculates the environmental impact of building materials
Tally provides AEC professionals with insight into how materials-related decisions made during design influence a building’s overall ecological footprint.
Sponsored | | Mar 10, 2014
A high-performance barn
Bastoni Vineyards replaces a wooden barn with an efficient metal building used for maintenance, storage, and hosting events.
| Mar 10, 2014
Field tested: Caterpillar’s Cat B15 rugged smartphone
The B15 is billed by Cat as “the most progressive, durable and rugged device available on the market today.”Â
| Mar 10, 2014
5 rugged mobile devices geared for construction pros
BD+C readers share their most trusted smartphone and tablet cases. The editors select some of their faves, too.Â
| Mar 7, 2014
Thom Mayne's high-tech Emerson College LA campus opens in Hollywood [slideshow]
The $85 million, 10-story vertical campus takes the shape of a massive, shimmering aircraft hangar, housing a sculptural, glass-and-aluminum base building.
| Mar 7, 2014
Learning from common leadership errors
As a leader in the AEC world, you’ll likely find yourself making certain mistakes over the course of your career. Here are a few common leadership errors that can easily be avoided.
| Mar 6, 2014
BD+C wants to hear about your breakthrough ideas and projects for the Giants 300 report
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey form is now available. But completing the survey is just one way to participate in the July Giants issue.Â
