Building craze 'stops at officials'
Don't blame architects for quirky designs - local leaders have final say over the projects, experts say, following Xi's call for end to trend
City leaders are propelling the construction wave of landmark buildings on the mainland, choosing designs that convey an image of prosperity and power, architecture scholars say.
But such ambitious designs may not represent the best use of public money, some experts have said following a call by President Xi Jinping for an end to "weird architecture".
Over the past decade, the mainland has become one of the most receptive markets for ambitious design projects.
Unlike in the West, where building plans can get tied down in committee and see their budgets slashed repeatedly, big projects on the mainland can move forward quickly under the oversight of fewer officials.
"The reality is that whoever has the highest rank in a city has the say [about what to build]," Peking University architecture professor Fang Yong said.
"And the ancient 'political wisdom' that a new emperor needs to build a grander palace than his predecessor to show his authority is still deeply rooted in the thinking of many officials."
Xi made his appeal at a cultural symposium attended by leading figures across the arts and senior state officials in Beijing last week, state media reported. He delivered a broad call for artists to reflect Chinese values and socialism. Xi, instead of the ideology tsar Liu Yunshan , chaired the two-hour gathering.
A report said Beijing might see an end to the construction of "weird buildings like 'the Big Underpants', as the new headquarters of the China Central Television is sometimes called.
"I'm not against being authentic and creative," Fang said. "I just don't think it's the best way to spend taxpayers' money - all these projects cost hundreds of millions [of yuan]."
Cheng Taining , a scholar from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told Xinhua that such "giant art installations" were built to cater to the sense of power and authority of the local officials. The projects were in the end "a symbol of vanity".
Xinhua blamed the officials for turning the mainland into a "test field for foreign architects".
"Even third- and fourth-tier cities have started to hire award-winning foreign architects or firms to design their landmark buildings," the article said.
According to Fang, overseas architects usually charge twice as much as the local professionals, which adds to the high cost of the projects.
"They charge 10 per cent of the total investment. Their Chinese peers would feel happy if they are offered four to 6 per cent," he said.
If it was not possible to use an overseas firm, some local officials simply asked for a copy of a landmark they had seen in the West.
"I've seen more than one county-level official who wants to turn his office into the study of King Louis XIV after an official trip to France," Fang said.
