Dive Brief:
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Chinese president Xi Jinping has called for architects and builders to stop constructing novelty buildings that look like everything from oversized eggs to giant men to enormous liquor bottles.
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During a building frenzy that has lasted nearly a decade, billionaire business owners and Western architects have been allowed to plant odd-shaped buildings that look like a pair of pants; a cell phone in a woman’s finely manicured hand; a giant tea pot; and a violin leaning on a piano.
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During a speech last week, Xi said architecture should be morally inspiring and serve the people, and “be like sunshine from the blue sky and the breeze in spring that will inspire minds, warm hearts, cultivate taste and clean up undesirable work styles.
Dive Insight:
The exotic buildings are mostly in large cities, where a growing “creative class” has “unleashed its talents on a scale never seen before,” according to The Guardian. Though now that more and more builders are now attempting to break into the Western market, Xi might not have anything to worry about.