A book that solves the puzzle of a fusion confusion

By Liu Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-30 10:03

Wu argues that the most striking feature of contemporary houses where ordinary Chinese live and work is "mixed" - "mixed styles in general and playful concoction of symbols and codes". He says that Chinese houses often display a total negligence of architectural aesthetics in their excessive decorations, which blindly duplicate ancient Chinese styles or Western concepts.

There is an obsession with the fengshui metaphors while the traditional value of harmony between man and nature is neglected.

As the Chinese economy gains increasing weight in the world, the nation is going through huge waves of deconstruction and construction unseen in centuries.

When people are in such a hurry, they don't care much about creating architecture that can stand the test of time.

While ancient Chinese paid great attention to the harmony between man and nature, most Chinese houses today show no concern for this comfort index and the aesthetic surroundings.

For example, throughout the year mops might be left outside the front gate of an important building. Residents of a high-end community might tolerate piles of sand left untouched outside the wall for years.

Unlike prominent architecture, most Chinese houses are influenced by a psychology rooted in an agricultural civilization, which has reigned for millennia.

"If we say that architecture is a mirror of its time, we believe that this is a unique historical period full of houses with mixed styles," Wu says.

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