Beijing - The China World Trade Center

Image Source: http://www.som.com/

A few miles away to the east of The Forbidden City is the China World Trade Center. It was one of the first modern buildings that opened to foreign businesses in the 1980's. Since then, the whole surrounding area has seen a steady rise of high-rise office buildings and luxury apartments.

The co-existence of modern buildings and ancient architectures as well as the blend of multinationals from all over the world have brought the city richer culture and vibrant fusion.

Beijing - The Palace Museum

The thematic colors of yellow and vermilion of the Forbidden City give the sense of warmth and passion. The huge white marble terraces form a striking contrast, together with the blue sky, create a vision of extreme magnificence.

The Forbidden City covers an area of 720,000 square meters. The front part is Outer Court, where the empror ran state affairs; the back part is the Inner Court, where the imperial family lived.

Image Source: China Government Website

Let's start with Beijing first so that you can get a flavor of "Ancient" Chinese just in case you haven't been there.

As one of the world's top museums for its historical significance and its art collections, the Palace Museum inside the Forbidden City in Beijing is a good place to go first. The link below takes you to their website - "The online Palace Museum offers you a visual feast of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese art, with a rich concentration of architecture and artifacts from the Ming and Qing imperial courts."

http://www.dpm.org.cn/English/default.asp

Why Set Up This Blog?

Many of us have benefited from the cost innovation of modern Chinese manufacturers, and you may have noticed the beauty of Chinese art, or you are fascinated by the Chinese calligraphy. Is China going to contribute more and something new to the world in the 21st century? I certainly believe so.

Many who have visited China recently got the impression that the Chinese people are friendly and happy. And that's actually true, even whey they aren't very rich. If you look at their culture, the core values are family, harmony, and happiness. These values are the core themes that have permeated in the traditional Chinese art and culture, for thousands of years. In modernized China, after the Culture Revolution, these values have come to live with new interpretations. Young generation in China today are unleashing their creativity, meshing modern concepts with traditional principles, creating modern designs that fit and promote new styles which we call Modern Chinese Chic.

This blog is intended to be a place where we share and discuss this emerging design trend and what it means for us in the United States. Perhaps we can learn some wisdom and secrets of a happy life, or perhaps we can get some inspirations about the harmony between human and nature, or perhaps we can simply enjoy the oriental beauty and elegance......