China's Manufactured Landscapes

As the Summer Olympics approach, China is getting all sorts of publicity - good and bad, of course. One of the most interesting topics - besides human rights violations and tragedy via natural disasters - has been architecture. From what I've heard, China's architecture is nothing to write home to.

There are exceptions, of course. The Washington Post's Travis Fox highlights five amazing and sometimes outlandish buildings in Beijing in this video.


Back in June, The New Yorker also had a interesting piece about architecture in China and how the coolest buildings were created by foreign firms. I didn't catch the article, but was fascinated by the podcast with the author, Paul Goldberger. Definitely worth a listen, especially for you Olympics nuts out there.

Finally, I have been meaning to watch Manufactured Landscapes, a film that follows artist Edward Burtynsky through China as he documents the country's immense industrial revolution and it's impact on the environment and its people. I've already checked it out once and never got to watching it. I'm a lame a**. Looks visually stunning.