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| Th "Hole" Building in the Chinese city of Guangzhou |
Some of the most interesting architecture is happening in Asia. The sudden and tremendous growth in wealth has provided Asian corporations with the capital and confidence to build outside the traditional box. Tradition and homogeneity, important principals of Confucian social order, have been set aside for creativity and bold expression. The
Guangdong Plastics Exchange building or the "Hole Building,"as it is being called, attempts to merge tradition and modern engineering. The "hole" design is based on an ancient Chinese artifact, the
bi. A
bi is a jade disc from the neolithic Liangzhu culture ( 3000-2000 BCE). Considering that the building is dedicated to a modern commodity, plastic, the reference to jade, an ancient commodity of great value in China, is appropriate. Unfortunately, many have associated the building's design with the shape of Chinese coins which have a hole in the middle. Thus for some, the building looks like a giant symbol of money.
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| A jade Bi. |
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