"In the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, the real star has been the architecture," writes AIA EVP/CEO Chris McEntee in the August Institute Update. "The architectural marvels of the Beijing Olympics and the great building boom transforming China's cities was covered in every section [of the media]—front page, editorial, business entertainment, and sports." A separate issue, though, isn't what was covered but what seems to have been covered up.
Much has been made of the "Bird's Nest" Olympics Stadium. Designed by Herzog & De Meuron, it is indeed an eye-catching structure that also highlights Arup's exquisite engineering. The bubble-box natatorium next door shows off the design skillls of PTW and, again, Arup was part of the engineering team. This incredible architecture, conceived and completed in less than a decade, includes the Olympic village, the many new hospitality facilities, and an incredible central business district building blitz.
And all of this in the midst of a city of 17 million. How is that kind of massive urban renewal possible in such a short timeframe? How was so much real estate available, much of it covered with centuries-old urban hutong warrens of courtyard family complexes? Here's a hint: It wasn't democracy in action.
Made in China once meant cheap and shoddy. The results-oriented Chinese have long-since changed that to cheap and of adequate quality (lead paint and ethylene glycol sweeteners aside). They have industrialized beyond the West's wildest imagination, recently becoming the third largest economy behind the U.S. and Japan. With almost 10 percent GDP growth, China is poised to astound the world with its power. For a totalitarian nation soaking up the Earth's resources and despoiling its environment, is this a good thing? If it creates a closer sense of community between China and the rest of the world, it very well could be.
But back to the Olympics. In many times past, nations have used the games to show the world they have arrived. Sometimes, such as the 1936 XI Olympiad, not so successfully. So far, for China, the success has been pretty good, despite torch-procession protests, a high-profile murder/maiming/suicide, and smog that won't dissipate despite many draconian measures.
True, the Olympics just feel good, especially when there's some winning involved. (The Chinese 119 Program to win more gold than any other nation is related to the state-over-individual mentality too, but another digression entirely.) Also, as McEntee points out, a lot of the feel-good quality of the Beijing Olympics has to do with the beautiful architecture. And what more of a feel-good name is there than "the Bird's Nest"?
As David Brussat of the Provident (R.I.) Journal wrote on the eve of the August 8 opening ceremonies, though: "Maybe the stadium is called the Bird’s Nest only because party officials got there first with a sweet name rather than one with a sharp bite. Maybe the Chinese who would rather call it the “Barbed-Wire Nest” are afraid to do so out loud."
Brussat pointed out that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, whom he actually credited with coining the Bird's Nest moniker, was less than pleased with the Chinese government. Indeed, the same day as Brussat's article, August 7, Ai wrote an editorial in the London Guardian, "Why I'll Stay Away from the Olympics' Opening Ceremony." In it, he writes of his homeland:
"For the past 30 years, we have dismantled barriers, opened doors and windows, been dazzled by sunshine and felt the wind of profound change. In the Olympics, we expect to witness new heights of effort and hope, speed and strength, that will inspire China to lift the pace of reform, to be more determined, more courageous, and more at peace with ourselves."
That's certainly uplifting. But he goes on:
"To reach this point, China has endured disasters, suffering, humiliation, and a darkness that made people hopeless. Almost 60 years after the founding of the People's Republic, we still live under autocratic rule without universal suffrage. We do not have an open media even though freedom of expression is more valuable than life itself. Today is not the time to dwell on our problems, but neither should we accept those who tell us these games are not political."
In the many readers' comments attached to that article, the more common sentiment was that Ai was complaining about a client after the commission was paid. And, moreover, that the games are about sports and not political motives; can't we just enjoy them?
Perhaps. But, as Ai writes:
"When I helped conceive Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium, I wanted it to represent freedom, not autocracy: China must change ... We must bid farewell to autocracy. Whatever shape it takes, whatever justification it gives, authoritarian government always ends up trampling on equality, denying justice and stealing happiness and laughter from the people."
Those are watchwords for us all, and, personally, I'd like to think that a new sense of openness and freedom of expression is indeed incubating in the Bird's Nest. Or maybe I just like watching Michael Phelps breaking world records in the next building over.
Enoy the Games.
Comments (4)
You should write a recommendation of blogs for people who like this. I came across your site last week when I was googling, however I am not really into the blog thing. I don't think it's because I do not enjoy blogs, but more than likely because I'm slightly behind to them.
Posted by buy acai berry | August 9, 2010 8:32 PM
Posted on August 9, 2010 20:32
The architecture is fantastic and I am enjoying the Olympic Games and experiencing the power and passion of the Olympic spirit.
I do so however knowing from Chineese friends, some of whom are architects, that immigrated to the US from China, that there is no freedom in China except to go where they tell you and do what they say. My friends were in the US going to a US university when their closest friends, fellow students in China were crushed by Chineese tanks during an unarmed peaceful protest against autocratic enslavement.
The stories they tell of life in China are not all bad but include horrific stories of their families being separated, the children being loaded into trucks and taken to Rural China, parents taken elsewhere, both forced to work on agricultural plantations as slaves, for years. Today the truth is still much the same, most Chineese workers are really just slaves making the best of the circumstances day to day.
I have read that the wages in china are rising. The average wage is almost up to $2.00 an hour. No wonder the shelves of our stores are filled with Chineese made goods, manufactured by Chineese workers. Sold so inexpensively here that no domestic manufacturer can compete.
In china the state owns just about everything, housing is often provided by the state owned factory and conditions are generally poor although there are some good housing projects in a few cities.
I exchanged email recently with a company in China selling rendering services. I learned from the management who is a party member, that the artists doing the photo realistic renderings are typically paid $2.50 per hour. Pricing is approximately 30% less than the best US prices for the same quality renderings. Which would work out per hour to be about $15.00 per hour per worker. I declined the deal, suggesting that was too much mark-up.
Chinese labor of course are human beings just like us, except they are enslaved by an autocratic government and the communist party that rules there and the exploitation of Chinese labor by free trading nations like the US is nothing less than hypocrisy. Current trading practice constitutes a global embarrassment and contributes to the economic problems of this nation.
We all hope for a more democratic China and pray that the subservient working class there will someday be compensated at parity with workers in the free world. The architecture may be a symbol of progress or propaganda.
The architecture of the Olympics is a powerful expression of the wealth wielded by China. It is a wealth accumulated on the back of human resources.
Where there are alternatives here in the US, I choose not to buy Chinese goods and services produced by exploited workers to enrich the ruling party. I pay more for it but in the long run it is worth the extra dollars where it counts the most. We need to keep American workers employed and keep American factories profitable. There is a hidden cost to the low pricing associated with inexpensive Chinese made goods.
Posted by Terry L. Walker, AIA | August 15, 2008 3:30 PM
Posted on August 15, 2008 15:30
This is a nicely written blog entry. As a teenager watching the Tiananmen Square protesters on the evening news, it made me realize at a young age, how important freedom of expression (and everything) is to the individual. It had a great impact on my views of oppressive autocratic governments and made me thankful I was an American, free to do and live as I wish and so I became an Architect. It is a beautiful sight seeing such expressiveness in Chinese society in the "Bird's Nest" and the "Bubble Box". I think they are beautiful and to me represent the birth of a new type of freedom for that country. All those that use the "birds nest" facility are "eggs" hatching into a history that the individual will create, not the autocrats. It is a place in which only good things can happen, not only in it's beauty, but in the rugged individuals who will compete to be the best on their own terms. That is freedom. Hopefully one day China will live up to the "Republic" it claims to be in title, but not in reality. So far they have proven they are on the right track.
Posted by Kahne O'Banion | August 15, 2008 11:57 AM
Posted on August 15, 2008 11:57
As an architect and Olympics nut, I couldn't be more impressed with the buildings of the Beijing Olympics. I'd venture to say that the scale of these Games is like none other before it, and while I can get overwhelmed by thinking about the amount of resources that went into Beijing's transformation, when I sat transfixed by the Opening Ceremonies on August 8th, those feelings all melted away and I was struck by the power of people who believe they can achieve anything, whether it's in athletics, architecture, dance, technology ... AWESOME!
Posted by Sarah Mannes Homstad | August 15, 2008 9:48 AM
Posted on August 15, 2008 09:48