I was quite speechless seeing this Foreigner Street. Strictly speaking, it is a theme park, just a pedestrian street by the river, but fairy-tale like. It has everything, and everything is with each other: St Antonio River with 32 world-famous bridges, Liberty Statue on Titanic, even a Chinatown gate (London style), Golden Reception Hall, Dutch style, Chinese style, Sphinx, and the world-biggest public bathroom with 1000 capacity, etc. This is the extreme of simulacra in China, quite not well educated intuitively application. The collage/montage is very colorful and vivid for local people and some tourism.
Some slogans are quite remarkable. “God bless Foreigner Street.” “Similar Harmonious Society 仿和谐社会.” “Respect other people’s property.” “If you are Titanic, the iceberg will sink.” “Lenin says, no rest, no work.” Etc. everything could happen here.
A new fake antiquity will be open to public in Penglai, Shandong Province, in May 2008. It is the famous legend of Island of the Blest 三仙山 in the story of Eight Immortals 八仙, who lived in Penglai Mountain Island. This new legendary island is a tourism park, run by “Eight Immortals Tourism Co., Ltd Penglai Shangdong”. It is also called “the Heaven in the Sublunar”.
It looks really fairy from photos without the neighboring residential area. I’m looking forward to visit it soon.
Chinese Archi-Image Phenomena [CAIP] is a consortium of urban image theorists and architects speculating on architecture and image culture in contemporary China. The practice of CAIP exists in a world of extreme simulacra, as historical footnotes are shuffled and image realities are becoming perversely pervasive.
The co-founders Fei Wang (http://www.fei-wang.net) and Yan Wang work in China, USA and Canada.
Pls mail to caipcaip@gmail.com if you have any quest.