hkabat-forum-threads China Residentional

[SimFox 800]

These are few shots I've made in China last winter.

We'll start from Tianjin - about 10 000 000 strong municipality about 130km from Beijing:

Here you can clearly see where all the electricity goes - AC unit under virtually every window. And those are on for about 6-7 months in a year, at lest.

close up on "architectural" detail... Chinese cities are littered with such campest version of "European" "art"

European is considerate to be exotic. So here you have what would be something like Mediterranean villa with some 30-40 floors stuck right in the middle:

20-30 yo houses are already largelly scheduled for demolition...

[patriots_1228 51]

it shows you how large china is when you've never heard of a city with 10 million people

great pics, i like those chinese rowhomes in the 8th pic.

[SimFox 800]

Well, Tianjin is considerate (at least officially) China's 3rd most important city after Beijing and Shanghai. And i has been for much of countries modern history (Since 17-18 century) But in last decade or so it started to fall behind. This is largely attributable to the policies of local leadership that tried to keep it "socialist". But about 2 years ago the most of the had been rooted out by strong intervention form central authority in Beijing. Seeing the state of "3rd city" they have decided that old guard has got to go! And now Tianjin is in the path to catch up with Beijing and Shanghai. Official program sponsored by central government to make it a Northern Shanghai had been launched. And the results are clearly visible already. When Government wants something things to happen in China with incredible speed, practically overnight.

City becomes big center for auto, electronic and aerospace industries. Plus it is a main port of whole of northern China.

[Glenni 1,444]

Wow.. many of the modern highrises are stuff you'd expect to find here in northern europe...

[SimFox 800]

yep, one reason I'm posting these here to show how stile in North China differs from that in South (for instance HK). North of China is strikingly "Europen" or Russian in it's feel, very different from Asian feel in, well rest of Asia, I suppose...

ok a bit more form Tianjin, from it's TEDA - Tianjin Economic Development Area:

most of these are grabs from Video. Although it is HD video still quality isn't too good, but it gives the idea of the architecture clear enough.

[coolotter88 2]

I wanted to take some pictures of the apartments in Beijing for the community to bat, but I didn't get around to it

the train from Beijing to Shanghai stops in a pretty dumpy part of Tianjin.

[Odainsaker 2,133]

it shows you how large china is when you've never heard of a city with 10 million peoplequote>

Us Westerners and Sid Meier game fans may be more familiar with the older Wade-Giles romanization of its name as "Tientsin." Like Shanghai, this was another international port city carved up into foreign concessions (there was even a slice for Austria-Hungary!), leaving behind uniquely contrasting districts of Western-styled architecture. I wonder how much of the charmingly alien architecture of the European imperialists have been preserved amidst the new towers.

But, eek, the newer tower complexes somehow seem rather sterile.

[IDS2 3,344]

Well, at least they're trying to be modern...but look at it, it looks like one of our cities with 10,000X the smog! I can hardly see the buildings in those pictures...then you know it's bad.

[tankmank 853]

immpressive shots but isn't Tianjin the second or most polluted city in china now i swear i saw it some where

[SimFox 800]

Tankman:

No it isn't, the place you think of is Tianying - that is significant difference in Chinese. Plus Tianying is about 700 km away from Tianjin.

But there is a smog issue. But it is more then just that. What is not commonly said in the western media is that large part of that smog is a particular matter that is blown from the desert. When it meets very humid air from the sea it gets particularly bad. It is there without any influence of man. This is, I believe one of the roots of the spitting habit. In some days it is enough to spend 30 min outside and you mouth is full of sand dust...

I remember one BBC program where presenter was going on and on how you can't see the sky in Chongqing because of pollution and pointing camera to the misty murky thing that passes in that city for the sky in WINTER... comfortably forgetting to say that the sky is like that there in winter ALWAYS. even hundreds of years ago. that was one of the reasons Capital of China was moved there after Japanese took Nanjing in WWII - to keep Japanese bombers away...

Pollution is a problem in China , no doubt about that. But a lot of things done to combat it. Air in say Beijing, or Shanghai is cleaner today then 5 years ago. And that ia 5 years of 10% GDP growth per year and with 4 times (or even more) cars on the streets - no mean feat!

[tankmank 853]

it is a bit confusing and some of the sand is due to humans as desertification has increased but they're planting trees to stop it

[SimFox 800]

About deforestation... today more territory on Mainland China is covered with forests then in 1949, just a fact...

But of course other pressure on environment had increases 100 fold. Main problem is that efforts are varied depending on the municipality. Last earthquake had sort of showcased it (in very tragic manner). None of the highrises of the nearby large cities had been affected by it but small town had been all but whipped out. The only way out of it is rising incomes and demand for "pblic goods" like clean environment from people on locations. When people are very poor they are happy to have any job, no matter what it will mean for tomorrow. But as they get wealthier they start demand more and they find way to make they demands heard. Mass protests by Beijiners had authorities abolish plans to rise dog tax and in Shanghai forced then to cancel plans for MagLev expansion (in this case the protest were fueled by nothing more then superstition that had no scientific credibility what-so-ever, still Vox Populi even mal-informed was heard and... obeyed

ok here is second portion of residentials, this time we are in Beijing. Before discussion of smog will continue I have to warn - these are frame grabs from video - hence sharpness had suffered already there, and secondly they are from the video made through the window (not ideally clean) of fast moving CRH (China Rail Highspeed) train Tianjin-Beijing-Tianjin.

So, here is our ride:

all on board!, let's go---->

there aren't really much of the "typical buildings" like in old days in both China and USSR, but new complexes could be colossal. This one seemed to run forever, well, at least for a kilometer:

and here few frames from a town halth way between Beijing and Tianjin - quiter small place , just 4-500 000 people

[coolotter88 2]

That's the train I rode!

[SimFox 800]

Oh I see, I guess you were also routed in Tianjin through that cargo station that serves passengers now while the main one is under reconstruction. It would be open next month. BTW who log does it take to get on this train to Shanghai?

[fusion_lemon 2]

I wanna try that train-ride too!!!

I've heard that it takes less than half an hour for this 130 km trip =P

[SimFox 800]

well, when I was on it it was still running on the old truck, so it was more like 44 minutes. But yesterday the new truck has been opened and new train had reached world record speed for standard (not specifically built to set a record) train set and truck - 394 km/h. Standard service will reach speed of 350km/h and the whole trip from Tianjin to Beijing will take only 22 min. And it is a first step in merging two cities in one mega city with population of about 27 million people+. There one problem though... Despite time between station in two cities had been cut in half, train will now stop in new Beijing South station that is quite far from Beijing city center. and all you saving in time will be wasted on getting back to downtown...

OK, next on our list of residentials is a "countryside" in the Yangtze delta - between Shanghai and Hangzhou:

Here is something that could be called a suburb in a a sence of being just ourside of Shanghai and is clearly mass development  - probably hundreds of houses together:

But this is already "farmhouses", built individually in countryside proper.

This one I liked the most, it really looks quite impressive from the fast moving car ;-) it has a feel of mini town grouping of volumes is very picturesque:

But that house is sort of white elephant. majority of the houses follow the style and pattern of nneigbours. People see nothing wrong in copying. In faact it deemed perfectly appropriate. When some one in a village discovers something new/better - everyone seem to follow suite. This is as much in building style as in occupation. Agriculture of any significance had practically stopped in teh area as land becoms too valuable and villagers find more rewarding occupations. That copycating had, actually worked to their advantage, as it creates 2natural" centers for certain industries. For instance in this particular area farmers started trading furs, why? God knows! Most probably because one adventurousefarmer had tried it and all the neigbours followed suit. And now when someone in China needs fur they know where to come. So in a spand of maximum 10 years country side around Hainin become ofne of the larges fur trading enters in the world.

from  a car you can clearly see temporal isolines (for he luck of better word) cutting landscape. and denoted by architectural and probably familiar styles.

[tankmank 853]

in the last few pics the apartments look out of place

[bixel 1,221]

WoW!!! Fascinating stuff, my only problem here is that I see a lot of house, but gone seems the noodle shops, the bao zi stands and the mom-n-pop markets. Are they in there somewhere or are they gonna go the American Way with crappy MegaMalls???

[SimFox 800]

Actually it is typical for China, I mean such a segregation for Residential and commercial areas, Particularly in the northern cities. There are markets, supermarkets and smaller shops but they tend to be separated from residential areas. Same goes for the walls around estates - also nothing new fro China - same practice has been in place for centuries.

OK next on our itinerary is Hangzhou - one of the most scenic cities in China. Pictures just don't do justice for this fascinating place, one got to experience it from street level. Anyway since this is a picture thread I'll post some. But purely as a informative, not impressionist move...

Hangzhou is much less segregated into purpose zones then most of the other cities of China I've been, and as such seems much more alive all through.

and here is the very source of the Grand Canal:

Right under this bridge it start it's 1770 km journey all the way to Beijing:

fittingly bridge is decorated with maps of various canals from all around the world engraved in glass of the railing

[bixel 1,221]

Gorgeous!

[tankmank 853]

I've seen many adverts for Hangzhou on CCTV9 and it says "Hangzhou best tourism city in china 2008" and there is 2 lakes in hanghzou which look beautiful and unpolluted and those pics are beautiful Hanzhou is a beautiful city

[villagemayor 0]

Thank you the pics Simfox!!! I always enjoy pics of buildings from other countries, but especially from China. It really is an eye opener. What I have noticed, is that the architecture of residential buildings in China are more varied than Hong Kong. In HK, most residential towers are quite boring, with little regard for architectural integrity and urban design. In China, there are more variations in the design and building form. Yes, the building looks quite tacky, especially some of the European inspired buildings, but at least they all look different.

[SimFox 800]

Hangzhou is breathtakingly beautiful and very comfortable and clean city. I'll post some more pictures from it later... Now we go to our final stop on this tour of residentials in China - Shanghai.

Typical midrise suburbs around Honqiao Airport:

One thing that most people in the West do not realize is how neat China  really is...

ACs are a real architectural menace!!

and here again that tacky "european" building. Mind you most of that tackiness is reproduced in Marble and some such...

Another typical "suburb" around Shanghai South Railway Station (biggest dome of the world (for now till completion of Beijing South)

And this is already in the entirely different price range - some of the most expensive residential real estate in mainland China  on the Pudong bak of HuanPu river

But Shanghai manages to keep a lot of rather colorful neighborhoods like this. Something that disappearing fast in Beijing where everything become just too clean and neat...

but even in such places things are normally squeeky clean and accurate, you wouldn't see trash just lying around like arond most european cities nowadays. Difference is particularly striking when you compare such "poor" neighborhoods.

---

And a special Bonus... Pigs Face:

[fusion_lemon 2]

One thing that most people in the West do not realize is how neat China  really is...quote>

Yeah, I agree that things are changing fast in big cities in China, the roads are becoming neat and tidy... just in some remote towns and corners those problems stay still (but well.... these problems occurs everywhere in the world isn't it?)

and here again that tacky "european" building. Mind you most of that tackiness is reproduced in Marble and some such...quote>

And I just noticed the four green characters in front means "European Garden" lol

But Shanghai manages to keep a lot of rather colorful neighborhoods like this. Something that disappearing fast in Beijing where everything become just too clean and neat...quote>

You can see these colourful neighbourhoods in HK too!!! XD

but even in such places things are normally squeeky clean and accurate, you wouldn't see trash just lying around like arond most european cities nowadays. Difference is particularly striking when you compare such "poor" neighborhoods.quote>

LOL... the red banner is an anti-littering promoting slogan~ XD

And a special Bonus... Pigs Face:quote>

uuurrrrgggghhhh!!!! 

[villagemayor 0]

Simfox, once again thank you for the pics!! Keep them coming. Even though there are many 'tacky' European inspired buildings, it does look interesting to look at. I do have one concern. All buildings in HK and China ages and turns grey over time. So all of these European inspired buildings look nice now, but in 50 years time, they will look horrible once they are age.

[tankmank 853]

yeas shanghai is an amazing city but there destroying tradition areas infavour of skyscraper seas

[villagemayor 0]

Oh and I forgot to mention, that pic with the flattened pigs head with eyeballs is just plain nasty. OK just a question, do people REALLY eat that and how??? OR do they just put it in soups or congee?

[Odainsaker 2,133]

Egads, plastic wrapped pig's face!...and to think, I always though the vacuum-packed giant tentacles and tasty dried squid snacks were disturbing.  That tacky "European" tower is just ghastly, hehe...though the pedimented gateway somehow fits better.

Though this image is rather dated, I always liked how it shows some of the different levels going on in Shanghai:

In the middleground we have the tidily exotic Yu Gardens and bazaar, which in many ways is Disneyesque in exaggerating the romanticized Chinese cityscape, while in the foreground we have the tightly crammed and gritty Old City of the treaty port era, and in the background sprouts the apartment towers of the New China.  I just wish the image had a representative slice of the old European concessionary settlements and the spaceship towers of Pudong.  The realities of space and increasing standards of living no doubt necessitates the tower blocks, but I'll admit a certain romanticism in finding the gritty rooflines of the Old City, complete with electrical poles, somehow more interesting.

[villagemayor 0]

One question though, is that why are Chinese builders and developers not utilizing its unique Chinese form of architecture in its buildings. Why do they have to resort to European and modern styles of architecture?

Dried squid snacks are yummy, don't know what you are talking about Odainsaker :-)

[____----____ 37]

quite the thread, i love this stuff thanks!