The Dying Era of American Inspired Buildings in China
As you view the shore of the Dongting Lake in the northeastern Hunan Province of China, you see the changing architectural styles that depict very different eras. You see Mao-era factories, a Ming pavilion, and reform-era tenements with the high-rise towers of New China behind them.
Different versions of Western architecture are present throughout China. Since 2000 whole towns were built like Thames Town in Shanghai and Little Italy in Shenzhen. The West refers to many countries west of China, including The United States of America.
The name for the USA in Chinese means Beautiful Country, and during the reform era, the USA had captured the collective Chinese imagination with its music and movies. Americana also grabbed the vision of architects, and American-inspired buildings started to emerge.
The popularity of Western architecture has since faded, as did the construction of buildings viewed as being weird. The names of buildings with Western-sounding names have reportedly also changed throughout China.
The buildings themselves still stand proud. In particular, the US Capitol Building was associated with power and elegance and became a paradigm that Chinese architects rushed to imitate. The Chinese, in general, do not know the difference between the White House and the Capitol Building of the USA. They refer to both as the White House, and there are a few across China.
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Many other White Houses have fallen into neglect, neglected and abandoned, and await demolition. The next era for China has begun, and with it, a new era-specific architectural style will be born.
The White Houses of China
The Yingguan District Government Building built in Fuyang in the Anhui province strongly resembles the United States Capitol building. It is known as the White House. This famous building cost nearly 30 million yuan and was run by the Communist Party chief nicknamed the White House Party Chief.
Many courts adopted the dignified and symmetrical appearance of the Capitol Building as it reflects the intent and image of the court as standing for fair and just law enforcement.
Some hotels have chosen the fancy and astute shape of the White House to attract more affluent guests.
Universities believed that the American-type buildings would assist students in understanding world culture better. The Geely University in Beijing has a US Capitol Building-inspired roof on the university library. The dome roof has since been removed to be remodeled to create distance from the imitated American model.
Some people have applied White House aesthetics to cultivate business. A distillery in Fuyang in the Anhui province modeled the public restroom after the Capitol Building. People are known to come from afar to find this toilet. A farmer even modeled his private villa after the US Capitol Building.