Identity Crisis

Beijing has seen incredible changes in recent years. It has gone from a rural landscape of farmers and fishermen to an industrious region; the epicenter of the world's production. Chairman Mao is said to have surveyed Beijing from atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace and proclaimed his desire for "the sky to be filled with smokestacks." His wish has come true as production facilities multiplied like rabbits. People came from the countryside to work the newly available and higher paying jobs that these factories offered. Makeshift housing was erected adjacent to the factories to eliminate daily commutes and increase productivity. Traditional structures, such as the hutongs that previously adorned Beijing, began to disappear overnight.


Since the Olympics in 2008, the issue of transit to and from the city center has greatly improved. The air is still filled with soot and smog that form a noticeably thick and palpable haze through the streets. Great efforts are being made to remedy this which include the planting of dense vegetation, pushing manufacturing to the periphery, and the instigation of an evening electrical curfew at ten o'clock. En lieu of the makeshift housing that was erected alongside factories, new and "affordable" alternatives are being built [this was a heated topic of debate as many Chinese feel the issue is unfairly addressed and are essentially being evicted from their current place of refuge without appropriate compensation or access to the new facilities]. These new projects utilize very simplistic but universal methods of construction. This is resulting in a cultural identity crisis. The traditional Chinese elements have been either eliminated or reapplied as purely motif. Beijing is quickly being reduced to stereotypical thrift store decor and foreign techniques. If this does not change it will be interesting to see how quickly a city can lose itself.