"China's New Architectural Wonders"

Click on this link, scroll to the bottom, and click on "Slide Show: 10 Wonders of the New China":

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec2005/id20051223_903049.htm

I think all of these projects are pretty cool, and hope none of them collapse or anything. I tend to be more merciful than others when it comes to praising or condemning architecture. Buildings that most consider eyesores (e.g. Taipei 101, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong) aren't too ugly, if you ask me, but are bold and distinctive. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of garish monstrosities, such as when a Texan attempts to re-create a French castle.. in pastel colours, or when things are done on the cheap. When I went to Tianjin (Tientsien) with my dad and my girlfriend at the time, I noticed that a lot of the neo-Classical buildings had Greek columns made of plaster!

I'm a bit mixed on China paying top-dollar for name-brand foreign architects. I think it would be better for China, and anyone else, for that matter, to spend more on utilitarian, environmentally-friendly structures than these monumental bold designs. Furthermore, if China is going to spend so much on structures, it would be better to build structures that last centuries or millenia, rather than mere decades.