5 strangest buildings in China, as government orders end to ‘weird architecture’
PUBLISHED : Monday, 22 February, 2016, 6:35pm
UPDATED : Monday, 22 February, 2016, 6:49pm
Gloria Chan
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Tianzi Hotel in Sanhe, Hebei province, features the Chinese gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity.
Following China’s government directive on Sunday that ordered an end to all “oversized, xenocentric [and] weird” buildings, the South China Morning Post has come up with a list of five of the country’s more unconventional structures.
1. Tianzi Hotel, Hebei (above)
The 10-storey building in the city of Sanhe, east of Beijing, features Fu, Lu and Shou – the Chinese gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity – on its facade.
The “peach of immortality” that Shou holds on his left hand is the hotel’s suite, and the holes in the peach are its windows.
Since its completion in 2001, Tianzi Hotel has “won” numerous titles, including “the top 10 ugliest buildings in China” by architecture website Archcy.com in 2011.
READ MORE: ‘No more weird architecture’: Chinese directive draws line in the sand on ‘strange’ buildings
2. Wuliangye Yibin Building, Sichuan
That’s the spirit: The Wuliangye Yibin building in Yibin, Sichuan province.Located in the city of Yibin, the headquarters of the Wuliangye Group is a gigantic version of the company’s famed product – baijiu, a fiery Chinese spirit.
It’s unmistakable what the Wuliangye business is all about. Even its avenues are lined with metres-tall bottles of liquor.The factory and its visitors’ complex also feature huge bottles of various liquors that line its avenues.
3. Louis Vuitton flagship store, Shanghai
The building that houses Louis Vuitton’s flagship store was a “shoe-in” for one of China’s weirdest buildings.The 24-storey commercial building – the luxury brand’s largest flagship store – looks like a giant boot.
Featuring a four-storey retail space, a four-storey basement and an office complex, the structure is a collaboration between Japanese architect Jun Aoki and Hong Kong-based architecture firm Leigh & Orange.
4. The Guangzhou Circle, Guangzhou
The Guangzhou circle was inspired by jade discs and fengshui.The golden 138-metre-tall round skyscraper with a hole in its middle, is built to resemble an ancient Chinese coin.
The structure – the headquarters of the Hongda Xingye Group, an enterprise in China’s chemical and energy industry – was inspired by jade discs and fengshui.
READ MORE: People’s Daily mocked over phallic headquarters
5. CCTV headquarters, Beijing
The headquarters of China Central Television has been mocked for looking like a pair of boxer shorts.Any article on China’s weird architecture can never go without mentioning the state broadcaster’s headquarters in the capital.
Designed by Dutch architectural firm OMA, the 54-storey building – two L-shaped structures connected geometrically at the top and bottom – is often mocked for looking like a pair of enormous boxer shorts.
