798-is-the-number

Our last day in Beijing was the day of my first encounter with the magic number of Chinese contemporary art. 798 Art District is the happening venue of Chinese art. With only a piece of paper scribled of the address and my limited Mandarin, we arrived at a cold mid day. The cold seeped through our thin jackets and the luggage that we carried did not help us to warm our shivering bodies.

The site was built as a complex of factories during the fifties and designed by engineers from Germany in Bauhaus style. At that time, chairman Mao Tzetung was in reign and he wanted Chinese industrial development to move forward in fast pace. Cultural Revolution had tried to convert Chinese society from agricultural to industrial based country to Soviet Union, and tried to develop ‘classless society’, where all people work in the same level as education and working ‘background’.

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observing-the-urban-social-space-questioning-behavior-in-the-urban-public-sphere

During the period of time the author has spent studying in Shanghai, he has often heard of various major planning issues. In some lecture series, the Danwei community was highlighted. However, in this short written piece, the author would like to focus on the smaller problems that lie underneath larger planning issues: the human aspect of a city. Particularly the way people behave in public, in relation to Shanghai’s “seven don’ts”. This article will take a closer look at the “seven don’ts” and question whether or not it has been obeyed by the general public through everyday observation. Most of the contents of this essay come from the author’s own thoughts, supported by various available references. Does the “seven don’ts” truly apply? Or is it just a list of things that are deemed unacceptable in the public sphere but nobody pays attention to it? Read more

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excursion-to-thames-town-shanghai-2007

 

 

thames.jpgEdited from Ariyanti (2008): “Themed Town, Thames Town” an unpublished article for Campus of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, Shanghai

It was a cloudy Saturday and our group of formerly 14 people has been reduced to 8 from the morning visit to Anting New Town. Exhausted, we found out that Thames Town is really far out from to the other direction, the only way to get there was with a cab, since our limited Chinese, we asked our friend to instruct the taxi driver how to get there. After another 40 minutes ride, we arrived at the compound, surrounded by fences, waterways and empty boulevards, the town was a place separated from its surrounding.

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markplatz-in-bonn

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Wenn Mann ein Gedachtnis hat, über die Benutzung auf ein Platz, die viele Bedeutung und Moglichkeiten haben, kann man nicht so weit denken besonders in Bonn, als der Markplatz. Die Bestehung des Markplatzes in ueberall Europa hat signifikan Bedeutung. Es ist der Platz für die Bürgern und gibt wichtigen Auswirkungen an der Stadt. Besonders in dieser 2000 jaehrige Stadt; Bonn. Der Marktplatz in Deutschentradition hat eine wichtige Rolle als urbanen Raum, kaum fuer polistische Mittel.

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nemo

nemoNEMO, the Science Center in The Netherlands is where a visitor may find world of science and technology in a playful and entertaining way. It located just after the IJ Tunnel from the south to North, or in this case was found on the cruise on the water ways in Amsterdam. It is now green clad copper has made the boat-like green building outstandingly from its surrounding. Read more

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