Do you sometimes find traditional Chinese architecture a bit boring/samey? (people, travel)

[Trimac20]

I'm talking the pagodas, temples, houses, palaces etc with the same curved roofs with the bamboo beams, the lacquered wood.etc. I mean it's cool the first time you see it, but after the hundredth time it does get a bit old.

This type of architecture is all over China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, to an extent Japan (it's slightly different there) and Vietnam.

Also, are you disappointed China lacks truly ancient buildings?

I often wish the Chinese had built more grand stone structures which stood the test of time. I mean we can see the Parthenon and the Colosseum, but the oldest building in China I think is a mere 1500 years old? They always talk about Chinese civilisation being so old but there's just so little to show for it. There's the Terracotta Warriors, and remote parts of the Great Wall, but that's really about it.

[Shizuka]

The China and the East Asia in general has been around for a very long time. This means, alot of destructions and wars have already happened. And you have to consider, during the world war 2. Alot of cities & towns were bombed and destroyed.
I agree though about the redundancy in architecture and style. But as a Japanese, that's also my opinion in European architecture.

[Curmudgeon]

Not at all. I find it graceful.

You want boring, look at the sprawled neighborhoods of the American suburbs - little boxes made of ticky-tacky and they all look the same.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I'm talking the pagodas, temples, houses, palaces etc with the same curved roofs with the bamboo beams, the lacquered wood.etc. I mean it's cool the first time you see it, but after the hundredth time it does get a bit old.

This type of architecture is all over China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, to an extent Japan (it's slightly different there) and Vietnam.

Also, are you disappointed China lacks truly ancient buildings?

I often wish the Chinese had built more grand stone structures which stood the test of time. I mean we can see the Parthenon and the Colosseum, but the oldest building in China I think is a mere 1500 years old? They always talk about Chinese civilisation being so old but there's just so little to show for it. There's the Terracotta Warriors, and remote parts of the Great Wall, but that's really about it.

China shouldn't be tearing down the historic districts in Beijing, and other cities, the alleyways, "hu-tou"s, I think they're called. There should be more value placed on historic architecture. A few traditional buildings have been given that status, or even World Heritage Site status, in minority areas. But it's sad that elegant old homes and intriguing old neighborhoods are being destroyed in Beijing.

A couple of years ago, China tore down the entire village where the Dalai Lama was born, and rebuilt all the homes in a sort of Disney-fied form, to make it appealing to tourists, supposedly. You can't win against this mentality. Also, China makes a lot of money exporting architectural elements from the historic buildings it does tear down. Old carved shutters and doorways sell for thousands of dollars in the West.

[theunbrainwashed]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Not at all. I find it graceful.

You want boring, look at the sprawled neighborhoods of the American suburbs - little boxes made of ticky-tacky and they all look the same.

Australia and New Zealand are the same way. England too, for that matter. Just rows upon rows of the same terraced houses and most houses look the same as any other on the street.

[yinduffy]

I think that there is now a standardization of Chinese design for new buildings whether a gazebo in a park or a new village for displaced Yangtze river people.
A few very old surviving landmarks serve as models.

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Not at all. I find it graceful.

You want boring, look at the sprawled neighborhoods of the American suburbs - little boxes made of ticky-tacky and they all look the same.

No. that would be Philadelphia and Brooklyn row houses. in most of the suburbs i been too i never seen little tick-tacky boxes that look the same except for the townhomes.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

China shouldn't be tearing down the historic districts in Beijing, and other cities, the alleyways, "hu-tou"s, I think they're called. There should be more value placed on historic architecture. A few traditional buildings have been given that status, or even World Heritage Site status, in minority areas. But it's sad that elegant old homes and intriguing old neighborhoods are being destroyed in Beijing.

A couple of years ago, China tore down the entire village where the Dalai Lama was born, and rebuilt all the homes in a sort of Disney-fied form, to make it appealing to tourists, supposedly. You can't win against this mentality. Also, China makes a lot of money exporting architectural elements from the historic buildings it does tear down. Old carved shutters and doorways sell for thousands of dollars in the West.

That's really sad. That's the most pointless, aggravating thing I've heard. Imagine them building the Parthenon from scratch? Some bright spark in the Chinese government should tell his comrades that foreigners don't want replications, they want the original.

I might be going to Taiwan soon...be interesting to see the Palace Museum, where a lot of artifacts were taken. I think it's a good thing, or else they might not have survived the Cultural Revolution.

[danielsa1775]

Originally Posted by theunbrainwashed

Australia and New Zealand are the same way. England too, for that matter. Just rows upon rows of the same terraced houses and most houses look the same as any other on the street.

Most Residential neighhoods in big asian cities look like this.







Beautiful aren't they?, That is seoul, it goes on for miles and miles and If you want a picture of what most of the city looks like, there you have it. I can almost guarentee you that is on land that was once was covered in the old chinese style houses Trimac is talking about.

At least they find room for trees between the concrete blocks in the Aussie and UK suburbs, (and i would assume the USA as Well).I agree with Ruth, I know quite a few asians of course, and my experience with them is the dont like old areas and would rather see them knocked down and replaced by "modern architecture".

I love old asian buildings, having said that I prefer the ones in europe, there is a lot more variety in europe, the chinese influence in asia is huge, and you do get a bit bored looking at much the same thing over and over again.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by iNviNciBL3

No. that would be Philadelphia and Brooklyn row houses. in most of the suburbs i been too i never seen little tick-tacky boxes that look the same except for the townhomes.

Then you haven't been out west!