China Day 10

Group of twenty apartment towers in upper right

Beijing - a city of 18 million people.  The building frenzy I saw in Chengdu and again in Shi Jia Zhuang is also taking place in Beijing.  Twenty to thirty story apartment buildings for workers are going up everywhere.  I saw groups of these buildings with as many as twenty towers.  Most of these towers were CMU block right to the top floor.  The brick clad buildings look better over time.  Because of the pollution the stucco starts to look dingy very soon.  The ground floor of these towers are reserved for retail and services.  Each group of towers is almost like a city within the larger city and most often are gated and have a guard.  There are green areas and amphitheater's for residence to entertain each other.  Families, grandparents, parents and their child often stroll between the towers after dinner.  These cities within the big city are very lively places.

The most striking aspect of architecture in China is each architect's and/or owner's effort to stand out in a field of many. Most often this can be seen at the top of the building - a bit like a woman's hat (more than a few would compete with the hats of Prince Andrew's daughters at William and Kate's wedding.)  The materials used in the government, commercial, and financial buildings are quite opulent.  Marble on every surface.  This was in contrast to the finishes I noted in the churches I visited.  The "marble" was faux.


Tiananmen Square:

Kellie and I got in line to view Mao's body in the mausoleum with ten minutes to closing.  The fact that we were whisked through will be remembered more than actually seeing Mao's body.


Article About Mausoleum Exhibit

The Forbidden City: