Owing to the accelerating population growth, mass urbanisation, and increasing pressure on the natural environment, the megacities of China's eastern seaboard have become a focal point of architectural and urbanistic attention.
The Architectural Guide China provides an overview of historical and contemporary architecture in these East Chinese megacities. It offers a comprehensive insight into the works of contemporary architects and presents nine urban agglomerations on the mainland and the special economic zones of Macau and Hong Kong. The 'Reform and Opening' era has affected these metropolises in different ways and has influenced the existing structures of dynastic capitals, trade centres, former European colonies and discovery areas. This in turn forms the background for the wide range of current buildings. The volume contains 620 relevant sites from which 238 projects are discussed at length and are illustrated with photographs and drawings. Three introductory essays on tendencies in contemporary architecture, local Chinese traditions in architecture and art, and on modernity examine contemporary architecture within its historical, political and social context. All eleven major cities are treated to full chapters, with historical and morphological analyses identifying key themes of growth and change which are inherent in each of these cities in different ways.
This book is the most current overview to be published in English of the latest Chinese architecture. The handy travel guidebook is supplemented with historical maps and background information. Projects contain GPS data, valid in China, to facilitate the search for objects while on location.
With travel guides on Indonesia and Yangon, which again are current, DOM publishers is expanding the series with three further titles on East Asia. Those already to have been published include Taiwan, Hong Kong, Pyongyang, Tokyo and Delhi.