Architecture and China’s urban revolution

Xuefei Ren

City, 2008, vol. 12, issue 2, 217-225

Abstract: This paper seeks to understand the transformation of built environments in Chinese cities through the lens of transnational architectural production. I examine why private developers and government bureaucrats have opted for international architects to design their mega projects, as well as the consequences. I argue that the transformation of the symbolic capital embodied in architectural design is the key to understanding such preferences. Through two case studies in Beijing, the paper shows how the symbolic capital of architectural design is transformed into economic, political, and cultural capital by various segments of the transnational capitalist class, and how tensions and controversies are generated in the course of using foreign architecture to brand Chinese cities.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1080/13604810802167044

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