Dann
Green bug
I regret it today. But then again, I'm just a gear in the machine. What do I know compared to the movers and shakers who stand to make money out of all that reconstruction?Marla_Singer said:That's right. In Europe we tend to like to preserve inheritance from the past. That's not really the same as in China where we blow up city centers to build cheap towers instead. It's cultural I guess... though I'm still convinced Chinese people will regret it in about 20 years.

To be fair, there are other cities like Soozhou, Hangzhou and other cities along the Yangtze who have preserved the old architecture and city layout, but those are the exceptions. Most Chinese cities go all out with the ultra-modern look because a) it is impressive looking and screams "progress" and b) there wasn't much to preserve anyway. All the really old architecture is either too dilapidated or has already been razed in the 1950s and replaced with grey Soviet-style low-rises.