OCT East resort, Shenzhen

Another Swiss Interlaken (I have no idea where it is until now) simulacra town in Shenzhen, where there are many theme parks already. Actually, it is the combination of the Western and Eastern. It is very popular for Bourgeois Chinese, who often spend the weekend there.

From the official website: “OCT East resort, a 3.5-billion-yuan (US$0.5 billion) investment supported by OCT group, is located at DaMeiSha, Shenzhen. Occupying about 9 square kilometers, OCT East, the national ecological resort featuring tourism culture, aims at providing visitors with an opportunity to escape from the bustle of city life and return to the nature.

Elaborately designed along the mountain and the sea, OCT East resort has three major theme parks: Knight Valley, Tea Stream Valley and Wind Valley. It has many culture travel functions like ecological tourism, vacation, outdoor sports etc., indicating the harmony relationship between human and the nature.

Phase I of the resort opened on Jul. 28th 2007, offering a vast array of attractions to the public. Tea Stream Valley, a combination of western and eastern cultures, has been constructed based on many fundamental elements such as tea, Buddhism, follower and bamboo etc. Wind Valley features Olympic and golf sports, the Interlaken OCT Hotel, The Interlaken Spa, and the Tea Show. The second phase of the project, Knight Valley, will open in 2008. This park will distinguish itself by forests, rivers and outer space, Red Wine Town and the Statue of Guanyin Sitting in a Lotus Throne.”

[Interlaken is a municipality in the district of Interlaken in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.] from Wiki

[via OCT East, many thanks for Jianjia Zhou]

a colossal Bavarian castle in Dalian

Dalian Seashell Museum, also known as Dalian Castle Museum, is the biggest one of this kind in Asia. The 1st floor is the museum and the above is hotel. It was built in 2000 and put into use in 2003.

According to the report in 2006:

"The castle will be sold for 260 million RMB ($39 million USD). The original squarefootage was planned to 31500 sqm (339063 sqf), including public facilities in the front, 3 residential towers with 11 stories, 13 stories and 15 stories respectively. There was supporsed to be the sailing museum. Although since July 17, 2003 the Seashell Museum was open, most areas have been empty for a quite while. ..."

[via here, here, here, here and here]

Huainan Olympic Park

Although the Beijing Olympics is over, but the passion of the Olympic spirit is still on. Here is the new released project of Huainan Olympic Park, Huainan, Anhui Province. Can you tell all these balls?

Remember the Villa Piano and Violin from last year? It's the same city.

[via hngh.gov.vn]

Thanks Koala Shiyun from OMA!

Le Corbusier in Guangzhou

(please click and read the English part, if you are an architect.)

When I walked around the new district of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, I found a series of interesting ad for a new residential development. I don’t really care about the concept at all, but just the text. If you are an architect, and you can read a little bit English, you will be surprised to see this. “If there were only one form, there would not be Le Debuxixie.” Actually, the Chinese counterpart is “Le Corbusier”. This happens everywhere in China when the Chinese try to imitate something they don’t really understand but they thought they do. But as Baudrillard says, “The whole system becomes weightless, it is no longer anything but a gigantic simulacrum – not unreal, but a simulacrum, never again exchanging for what is real, but exchanging in itself, in an uninterrupted circuit without reference or circumference.”

Cell Phone Building in Tianjin

This is a cell-phone-like building in Tianjin. I have no idea what it is for. It's similar with the Key Board Building in Shanghai.

[via abbs]

SIAS International University, Zhengzhou

The Administrative Building's back facade

The Administrative Building's front facade

European Commercial Street

Another view

This is a new university in Zhengzhou. The administrative building has 2 faces, like the god Janus, but with the East and West. There is also another European Commercial Street.

[iamges via http://sias.zzdxs.net/xinsheng/2008/0527/article_39.html]

Splendid China锦绣中华, Shenzhen

Due to what is happening in China and of the Chinese, I came across this image from Cute Hisotry. Olympics turns to Olympolitics, and now Patriotertainment. Where is the splendid? There is also another counterpart of Splendid China in the same city Shenzhen, the Window of the World.

"Splendid China (Chinese: 锦绣中华, Pinyin: Jinxiu Zhonghua) is a comprehensive miniature park reflecting the history, culture, art, ancient architecture, and customs and habits of various nationalities in China. It is one of the world's largest scenery parks in the amount of scenarios reproduced. The park is developed and managed by the major travel and tourist corporation, China Travel Services.

Over 100 major tourist attractions have been miniaturized and laid out according to the map of China. Most attractions have been reduced on a scale of 1:15. It is divided into Scenic Spot Area and Comprehensive Service Area. The entire park covers 30 hectares.
There are cars and trains to transport visitors around the park, making it possible to visit the Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Temple of heaven, Three Gorges Dam, Potala Palace and the Terracotta Army in one day.
The park also hosts several shows depicting various events in Chinese History (e.g. a horse riding show depicting a battle led by Genghis Khan), Chinese Cultural Show, etc. Some of the shows are only performed on weekends.

A Splendid China was also built in Orlando, Florida in 1993. It featured similar models of The Great Wall of China, Terra Cotta Warriors, The Forbidden City and Potala Palace. The park closed in 2003."

--wikipedia

[image via cute history]

Foreigner Street洋人街 @ Chongqing

Chinatown gate at Foreigner Street (London Style)

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.

I cannot wait to visit there as well.

More images are here and here and here and here.

Island of the Blest三仙山 @ Penglai蓬莱

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.

More images are here.

[images via xinhuanet & penglai.gov]

Along the River During the Qingming Festival

The are physical versions of the famous Chinese painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in Kaifeng (Henan Province) and Hengdian World Studio (Zhejiang Province) now. The original long scroll painting was painted by Zhang Zeduan (early 12th Century), Song Dynasty, depicting the life and market of the ancient city Kaifeng, then there were many other versions in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Zhang Zeduan, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", early 12th Century

The park of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", Kaifeng, Henan Province

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival", Hengdian World Studio, Zhejiang Province

It seems there are competitions between Kaifeng and Hengdian, like many versions of the scroll paintings. The one in Kaifeng launched in 1998, 2nd phase in 2005, and 3rd phase coming soon; the one in Hengdian was in use since 1998 as well. The one in Kaifeng has about 600 acres in land, 180 acres of water area, 50 ancient boats, 400 rooms, and constructions area of 30,000 sqm (300,000 sqf), with 300million Chinese Yuan ($40million) investment for 1st 2 phases; while the one in Hengdian is about 800 ares in land and 100,000 sqm (1 million sqf). They are so-called built in “1:1” scale, but where is it from, because the buildings of Song Dynasty don’t almost exist anymore, and few drawings are left? Tourists are really willing to spend much money on these fake antiquities, and every city needs one, their own version.

[images via landscape china & wikipedia & xinhua net & lotour]

No. 1 Village in the World

"No. 1 Village in the World"

Actually, the red text in Chinese is "the Capitol of the United States of America".
Tian'anmen

The red text is "Roman Church".

"The Great Wall"

This is so-called "No. 1 Village in the World", Huaxi Village, Jiangsu Province, which is a really reach village in farming. The urbanscape and architecture are collages of Chinese and Western styles and a typical example of simulacra. There are Tian'anmen Square (which I have shown before, here), the Great Wall, Capitol Hill, Chinese Towers, etc. This is the way how farmers show the richness.

[via jsdj]

Happy Valley

I just found out that there are a couple of theme parks called Happy Valley in Beijing and Shenzhen, and construction in Shanghai and Chengdu. The one in Beijing was open to public in 2006, which is about 1 million sqm in area in Southeast Beijing. It was called "the frontier of cultural industry of Beijing, the classical of modern Chinese tourism, and an important symbol of experiential tourism in Beijing." The Lost Maya, Atlantis, and Aegean Harbor are made as "real and ancient" as they could. In most cases, they are out of scale and the vegetation is really weird, and out of the "original" context.

[via happy valley, abbs & 51766]