Modern Architecture in Beijing - Part 2

The Water Cube is square, to balance the round Bird Nest
The Water Cube represents Yin (Square), and the Bird Nest represents Yang (Round)

This Beijing Si He Yuan is built with the principle of square to achieve order and stability

The Template of Heaven is Round

There are some ancient Chinese ideas behind the modern buildings in Beijing. Ancient Chinese believe that the sky (heaven) is round and the earth is square. This round-and-square philosophy has been very important in many designs of Chinese architecture.

For instance, square is a traditional shape in Chinese architecture. The Forbidden City was built on a square pattern, so is the configuration of today's Beijing, with the Forbidden City as its center. Square was regarded as a symbol of integrity and regularity. The preference of square reflects the desire of order and norm in ancient Chinese society.

Both square and round are the favored shapes in Chinese culture and they have evolved to represent core culture concepts such as harmony and stability. Both shapes appeared frequently in the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Another important principle is the balance between Yin and Yang. Ancient Chinese believe that harmony is achieved with such balance.

The heaven is Yang, and the earth is Yin, therefore, round represents Yang and square represents Yin. The Water Cube (Yin) is to balance the Bird Nest (Yang).

Modern Architecture in Beijing - Part 1

Beijing National Swimming Center

Beijing National Swimming Center Night View Effect





New Beijing Central Television Headquarters Side View




New Beijing Central Television Headquarters Design Effect




Bird Nest National Stadium

Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Rehearsal at the Bird Nest National Stadium

Get a peak of some of the new landmarks in Beijing, they are widely credited as the representation of the accomplishment of China's rapid modernization. You'll see them again if you the coming Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

The above images were collected from various Chinese websites.

Summer in Beijing

Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3


Adorned with imperial color, the roof evokes the scales of a Chinese dragon

Leaving for Beijing next week and look forward to seeing and going through the newly opened Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport. According to the New York Times, it is twice the size of the Pentagon and it is the largest building in the world. (Click here to see the full article).

No, not for the Olympics. I'll be working with our jewelry designers in China for the next two months. Cannot wait to get an optimism boost and will be glad to watch the presidential election from a far distance.

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