The Peddler Thorp and Walker Water Cube an aesthetic triumph it is also a monument to outstanding sustainable design. Perhaps the choreagraphy and performance of the opening and closing ceremonies were the best Chinese feat amongst all of the featured yet international design product. We all hope that the strong desire by the Chinese to put China on the map features all of the real China - including the Chinese working class. Cheers, Sandy!

very good points, as always!

Olympic Games opening was great!
I loved the brums show and the fireworks spectacular explode. China demostrated the world they are who discovered wildfire.
Perhaps, it is a poor country, it is rich in people and proud.
It is a shame World Goverments invested so stratospheric amounts of money to prove the rest of the world how big they are, but it is a human nature.
Chinese should be proud about the hospitality games offered to the rest of the world.
as a Mexican, I am proud Placido Domingo performed his talent during the Olympic games to the World.
Smiles!

Sandy

Hey Sandy,
I too have been to China (but certainly don't claim to have any unique insights) and I agree that the major issues of China were screened from the world during the Olympics, however, the inclusion of world reknown architects is not where I hold issue - the internationality of the Olympics is part of the event BUT, I do have issues with what the architects were given as the programming of these buildings. A "carte blanc" attitude is not where we need to be going in terms of world economic and ecologic needs. I would have liked to have seen low-tech solutions in a low-tech country. I wanted to see the celebration of humanity, not technology in the Olympic stage.

Sandy, I have never been to China, but I have many friends from abroad. My friends from China, Cambodia, and Tawain have told me when they went to school it was for long hours and they were taught to retain everything the older generation knew, they were taught to retain information but did not learn how to be creative with that knowledge. Perhaps this is why the international architects were brought in.

Christine

You are dead-on. They created venues that were void of their culture, and seemingly, citizens (I didn't see many Chinese in the stands). And of course, let's not forget the irony that in this instance it was China that did the outsourcing to other countries. They truly missed their global opportunity.

Maybe someday I will see China, but even without ever being there,I felt the same about the ceremonies. The whole thing seemed fake, contrived, and it all left me with a sour feeling....I hope the attention they got for the Olympics help them to make attempts to invigorate their architecture, and perhaps bring more attention to their human rights issues as well.

Sandy, I have to agree with you. China created some individually beautiful buidlings but they don't seem to be a part of an overall coherent and sustainable plan. Beijing has alot of critical issues to address including traffic and road system planning, pollution, and the more important issues of freedom and human rights. Let's hope that the Beijing olympic transformation was just the first of may steps to reinvent themselves on the global stage and open their society to the West!

hi sandy! i agree with you. they did make china wear a mask but as an industrial design student i was amazed at all the design and innovations. not only in architecture but also in sport gear (nike, adidas), transportation, the olympic torch and others. but these are also international companies and not all chinese (even though they made some things such as the olympic torch seem totally chinese because of its shape and symbolism). i totally agree with your point of view.
P.s. i hope you remeber me i am beatriz insignares daughter... alex...
greetings!

Masking that they were. My friend, fellow designer of mine, visited there just a month before the Olympics started. Homes were bull dozed over, painted over, or boarded up near the stadiums. Of course being in the mass production industry just prior to my work with you, our designers traveled there multiple times a year to see how production was going. Do you think that it will ever come to China being a "design-confident" country? This is a topic that could go in many directions. Hope all is well Sandy! :)

Hey Sandy- You really made a valid point...it seems the Chinese government went for show and bling. It would have been nicer to see something authentic and true to their culture. Your keen eye and point of view are point on once again!

China has some big decisions to make, whether to become a member of the capitalist west where freedom and prosperity thrive for its citizens or to stay the course as an old world, communist regime...China is at a crossroads, however, they play by their own rules and no one elses...Or will the future create a society in which a mix of these cultures can thrive...All for one and one for all, while allowing an individual the right and the opportunity to prosper...We may not be around to see what type of society they become...These comments I believe will hold true for its design decisions...Where will China go?

I agree with all of your points. China was able to pool together such massive funding because it had no societal impositions. While in the US or Europe, such monumental structures would have been vetoed due to their ungodly costs and the detriment that would be placed upon the public in order to afford such extravagance. But hey, it takes a dictator to accomplish such feats, I use the ancient egyptians as my prime example...

I have to admit that in my awe of the events that took place during all the ceremonies, I didn't even stop to wonder where the creativity and innovation for the architecture for both the buildings and the image of the ceremonies actually orginated from. I've never been to China, nor do i know much of its culture and economy, but after reading that I will aspire to learn more. Love your insight Sandy, and hope all is well!

Sandy, I enjoyed your opinion of China today, as well as some of the other comments. I've never been there, but know many people who have and loved seeing that vast country. It is truly a controversial country regarding all issues. I saw the Dalai Lama last night on TV. Tibet's repression by China is sad situation and China has no interest in the world's opinion obviously. I know you have a great interest in that part of the world and admire the good works you do there.

While certainly impressive, I definitely would have liked to have seen more of a vernacular take on design and architecture at the Olypmics. These monuments certainly garner much attention but they now all but stand abandoned. Design rooted more in Chinese identity could have been more easily integrated into life there post-Olympics. Chicago for the summer 2016 games!