Daring Architecture Energizes Beijing

Beijing tried to impress, not deal with deeper issues

(NEWSER) - Beijing's new Olympic buildings will impress the world at first glance, Paul Goldberger writes in the New Yorker. The National Stadium boasts a lattice of crisscrossing beams, and the blue-gray Aquatic Center seems underwater with its translucent plastic pillows. But peel back the paint, and see evidence of what enrages the world about China. More»

China developing reputation as architectural showcase

(NEWSER) - The new Terminal 3 at Beijing airport—the largest building in the world—is not only the gateway for visitors streaming into the Chinese capital for this summer's Olympics. It's also the capstone for an unprecedented building program that has transformed Beijing into a world-scale architectural showcase. The New York Times looks at how China is translating its rapid growth and political ambition into such projects—and hoping the world notices. More»

(NEWSER) - Armed ballerinas and a song by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin today celebrate the opening of Beijing's controversial National Grand Theater, a $360 million modern arts complex built in the shadow of the Forbidden City. The Red Detachment of Women, however, is a traditional touch—it's one of eight plays permitted under the watchful eye of Mao's wife, reports the Guardian. More»

Chain 'respectfully' withdraws from historic site at heart of Beijing

(NEWSER) - Starbucks shuttered its store in Beijing’s Forbidden City yesterday, ending months of controversy over the American chain’s presence at the former imperial palace. The 600-year-old complex, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, is now a museum where the caffeine titan opened its doors in 2000, the Seattle Times reports. More»

Expert calls new data 'surprising'

(NEWSER) - The Chinese government, under fire from its citizens about its unbelievably upbeat pollution reports , has started to release more detailed data about smog in Beijing, reports the AP . For the first time, Beijing's official weather website yesterday included readings about PM2.5, or particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size—extra-small particles that are considered more dangerous. So far, though—surprise, surprise—the new readings have been good, with data one expert called "surprisingly low." More»