Golden Mao Zedong, Marilyn Monroe, even fresh food… The special situation of “too unique giant architecture” in China
For some reason, statues of heroes and mysterious objects are suddenly rising in various parts of the country. ......
A golden Mao Zedong rising suddenly out of the wilderness, a big baby lying in the desert, the hero of the Three Kingdoms intimidating his surroundings–these are just a few examples.
These “unique megastructures” are springing up all over China. Foreigners visiting China for the first time will be astonished by the abruptness of these structures.
The motifs are not necessarily people or events related to China. In a shopping center in Dalian, Liaoning Province in the northeast of China, there is an 8-meter-tall statue of the American actress Marilyn Monroe. As in the image of the movie “The Seven-Year Affair,” in which she starred, the statue is constructed in such a way that her skirt can be turned up and her underwear can be seen. It is a Western-style commercial facility, so they may have been trying to create an atmosphere. ……” (reporter stationed in China for a national newspaper)
Why are there so many huge buildings in China that at first glance seem so outlandish? Chinese journalist Zhou Laiyu explains the country’s unique circumstances.
The Chinese people have always had a tendency to like things and stories that are large in scale, even as far back as the Great Wall of China,” says Zhou Laiyu, a Chinese journalist. That is probably the reason why many Chinese people challenge Guinness World Records. In local towns that don’t have any special tourist attractions, they are trying to make strange and mysterious objects to attract people’s attention and make them the centerpiece of their ‘town revitalization’ efforts. It is a means of investment and money-making.
However, the recession, including the filing for bankruptcy in the United States by real estate giant China Hengda Group, and the authorities’ tightening of restrictions on excessive construction work have cast a dark shadow over these eccentric buildings. Plans are being abandoned and demolished in an increasing number of locations. China’s famous “giant buildings” reflect the current state of the great nation in disarray.
From the September 15 and 22, 2023 issues of FRIDAY
PHOTO.： Reuters/Afro CNImaging/Afro ZUMA Press/Afro Shutterstock/Afro
