杂志汇人民画报（英文版）

Beijing’s modern urban development has seen the best of times and the strangest of times. For a period during the thirteenth century, the city was so magnificent that it awed the well-traveled Marco Polo. Several centuries later, as the city continues its role as a powerhouse driving Asia’s largest economy, it is experiencing rather curious changes bewildering even the most knowledgeable urban scholars.

While many major cities in the western hemisphere have been slashing budgets in recent years, Beijing has maintained a prolonged construction spree. High-rise apart-ments, office complexes, sports venues, and art and performance centers are sprouting up across the city. The sheer volume of new buildings is unprecedented in global history of urban development. Even more impressive than the quantity, the frenzy has shaken the city’s fundamental building philosophy and priorities to their core. Chinese culture celebrates conformity, order, and consistency. This basic philosophy is illustrated by siheyuan residences (quadrangle courtyards) lining hutongs (narrow alleys) in Beijing’s old districts. Like the blocks of a printing press, each siheyuan resembles its neighbors in color, form, and scale, as if they value being inconspicuous. This monotony was disturbed to some extent by the rapid development that started in the early 1980s. Increasing demand for residential, commercial, and civil space spawned many modern buildings and skyscrapers. However, even though some of these buildings contrast single-story siheyuan houses and low rises that used to define the city’s landscape, few appear bold enough to challenge conventional perceptions about building style. Much like their predecessors, they were designed to fit into the overall scheme of the existing structural environment.