Chinas Urbanization as a Spectacle - Case Study Example

China’s Urbanization as a Spectacle Introduction Over the last two decades, China has undergone the most rampant urban revolution that has never beenwitnessed elsewhere in the world. The transformation is characterised by vast skyscrapers, highways, subways, bridges, and numerous other constructions that had not been foreseen in the last century. Villages have been converted into cities changing the number of cities from 200 in 1970’s to the current almost 700 cities. Vast populations of citizens continuously migrating from rural areas to the metropolis distinguish these cities. Even the smallest of China’s cities are huge by Americans criterion. Cities in United States such as New York are being rendered insignificant by previously small villages in China. China has in the recent past built more structure than any other nation in the globe. It is habitat for the world’s highest skyscrapers, which dominates cities such as Shanghai, Beijing just to name but a few. The view of Shanghai at night appears like a delusion. Spectacle has played a crucial role in creating the modern China. China’s new City is characterized by speed, dimension, alleged sustainability, and sprawl. Cities are supposed to be planned with the needs of the inhabitants in mind, yet the spectacle cities do not depict this at all. The cities have been designed from borrowed and programmed pattern. The development pattern does not portray the needs of Chinese. China has in the recent past has been exemplified by decentralisation of power to municipal governments. This has in turn led to competitive architecture as each city tries to outdo the others. The cities are not built to address the problem of vast growing urban population, which might lead to development of slums. The ambition for urban development foreshadows everything else. This paper is a critique on why the spectacular china is a delusion and a blow to humanity. China greatly focuses of economic development at the expense of the environment. Environmental degradation has led to increased water and air pollution, which in turn have resulted in severe public health catastrophes. The airs of these metropolitans are heavily polluted with wastes from factories. Urbanization in China has led to conversion of farmlands and forests into urban areas (Campanella, 2008). Urbanization in china came hand in hand with transformation of metropolitans’ into Spectacular Mega cities in regions such as Beijing and Shanghai. The mega cities are characterised by glitzy architectures designed by foreigners whose aim is to expand their portfolios. The spectacles build up in the cities to an extent that it turns into an image. To create room for these spectacle projects, city residents are repeatedly displaced and relocated while migrants are ejected (Laurence, 2012; Wing, 2009). This form of urbanization is a clear depiction of the China’s shallowness. The magnificent architecture is copied from the west and is a clear show of China’s lack appreciation of their culture. The new city undoubtedly indicates China’s lack of confidence by replacing structure depicting their culture with those from a dissimilar civilization. The architectural problems China is facing emanates from the attempts to merge the western devised design with the Chinese culture. The belief that Asian like hiding problem is verified by the manner in which China has used the magnificent architectures to cover the predicaments facing China ranging from excessive pollution to the miserable displaced families. Spectacle is an invention characterised by shadow and light that China borrowed directly from western culture. Chinese sprawl is apparent from space with American Culture tailored in the architectures (Campanella, 2008; Ren, 2011). The skyscrapers are a depiction of a deteriorating culture and a mere cover up of a failing economy. The developments led to vast migration from the rural areas to urban centres to an extent that the urban population overtook that in the rural areas. From the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese culture started depreciating and in the next few years, the culture might become extinct (Wing, 2009). One of the consequences of development of spectacle city is the increased abuse of Labour rights with the migrants into the metropolis earning meagre wages while working in poor working conditions. The mass migration is expected to cause immerse strains in aspects pertaining to housing, transport as well as increase the rate of pollution (Laurence, 2012). The gap in development between the rural areas and urban centres continues to widen. Villagers living near the cities are displaced to create room for spectacle developments and most of them star living a peasant kind of life. Village leaders collaborate with the municipal officials to acquire land forcefully from farmers, which has led to protests (Wing, 2009). The municipal officials then sell the lands to developers for construction of opulent shopping malls and housings while the landowners’ starts living pathetic lives mainly working in the constructions or in factories and living in apartment blocks. The public is greatly displeased by such moves, which has been manifested by revolts. China has lost independent in terms of agricultural production. Economic development in China has disregard the social life of the citizens through acts like oppressive working conditions, displacement as well as biased warrant of urban citizenship (Ren, 2011; Wang, 2011). The whole China will be a representation of Spectacles in a few years if the current rate of development is maintained. The architectures are a complete reflection of a China detached from all facets of life. During the revolution of the Western countries, many thought that the west was being turned into an entity of contemplation but china is like an exhibition centre full of deception. This spectacle is an absolute neglect of the world vision. However, the spectacle supplements the authentic world in terms of additional unrealistic decoration. It makes one feel like China is at the verge of separating the economic prosperity with socialism. However, the spectacle could be a genuine verification of the human life of wanting to dominate the whole world by ruling the economy and making the social life sheer appearance. The Chinese planners and architects borrowing so heavily from the west are indicative of their bogus objectification. Making China turn into simple images other than the spectacle it was supposed to become. By borrowing so heavily from the west, the spectacle displays the flaws of the Western Philosophical project that never fully materialized in the West. China has philosophized reality by degrading the tangible lives of people into speculative realities. It displays conquer of human power such that it no longer works for their benefit but ends up being a tool of self-destruction (Campanella, 2008; Wang, 2011). Just like China, Chicago was also faced by rapid urbanization in the 19th Century. By then the Chicago architects had little knowledge on designing but they still invented new building which were related to Gothic designs. Unlike the skyscrapers in China, the architectures in Chicago were a depiction of fashion as well as drama. They were thus greatly appreciated as they served the desire of the society and harmonised the religion and social aspects even in modern Chicago the buildings still reflect great innovativeness. Unlike in china where the architectures appear not to fit in their locality, structures in Chicago portray a sense of belonging and order. The structures are ensemble with such fineness to express modest part of the larger. Architecture in Chicago served to convert the black host city into a stunning metropolitan. The architecture is classical and displays the great legacy of the architects who designed every structure with striking fineness and passion. The architecture is glitzy but still serves the needs of the people living within Chicago. Every structure communicates the message its designer had in mind when designing it. However, the designs have borrowed moderately from Greek and roman designs. Chicago architecture has a great influence on most designs within the United States (Stone & Wetfall, 2006). Conclusion China’s urbanization pace is too brisk and has never been witnessed anywhere elsewhere in the world. In the last two decades, villages have been transformed into cities and farmlands replaced with skyscrapers. Villages have been transformed into metropolitans and farmers left peasants. The urban population outnumbers that in the rural areas and the numbers are expected to increase. The main challenge China is facing is strive to establish sustainable development with the rising living standards due to rampant urbanization. Current China is an image of the China that existed two decades ago. The structures that were depictive of Chinese culture have all been replaced by architectures, which are a blend of Chinese culture and Western Civilization. China’s spectacle has not unified the Chinese but has scattered them, leaving former agriculturalist with no livelihood to turn to. Looking at China makes one realize how the society is continuously detaching itself from reality by building spectacle that completely lacks cohesion with the human nature. The china spectacular sprawl depicts how man is continuously becoming unaware of his own existence and prefers living in the shadows of others. Gazing at the China’s spectacle make you realize how homeless it is as it stretches everywhere even where it does not fit. Chicago architectures on the other hand are a clear depiction of the culture of the natives of the city though the designs show some borrowed aspect from Greek and Roman architecture. References Campanella, T. (2008). “The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution and What It Means for the World.” New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Laurence, L. (2012). “Urbanization of Post-Olympic Beijing.” Retrieved from http://www.306090.org/MEDIA/00120.pdf Ren, X. (2011). “Building Globalization: Transnational Architectural Production in Urban China.” Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Stone, D. & Wetfall, C. (2006). “Chicagos Classical Architecture: The Legacy of the White City.” San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing. Wang, M. (2011). “Portraying China: Urbanization in Progress.” Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/~mwang/exhibition/essays.html Wing, C. (2009). “The Chinese Hukou System at 50” Retrieved from http://www.willamette.edu/cla/debate/pdf/youth_forum/mtt%20research/role%20of%20gov/Anca_Chinese%20Hukou%20System%20at%2050.pdf Read More