From Chinese Press

Blame it on urbanization

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-12 07:59

Many people have been criticizing the fact that modern parts of Chinese cities look similar. But it is not right to just blame real estate developers and local officials, driven by material interests, for this, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

It's true that city planners in China have been pursuing urbanization blindly and have neglected the quality of urban life in the bid to use their achievements to further their political careers. But industrialization, especially the impact of globalization on China's city planning and architecture, too, has played an important role in this.

Thanks to globalization, international architects have tried out their best modern designs in China, prompting domestic architects to follow in their footsteps. No wonder, many buildings in Chinese cities look alike.

But there is catch here. Industrialization is progressing at a sound pace in China, while urbanization lags behind. And since primary and secondary industries have undergone profound changes structurally, Chinese cities want to keep pace by building more new and modern structures.

The influence of industrialized societies' lifestyle and values, and the impact of the fast developing information technology, has broken down social and cultural barriers. Besides, globalization has weakened the base of Chinese architecture and culture.

As a result, the market has been inundated by architects who don't have even the vaguest idea about the history and culture of the region or city where they design a building.

The cultural foundation of China, which has thousands of years of urban history, would be destroyed if cities in the country lose their special features. That would be a loss not only to China, but also to the rest of the world.