B EIJIN GECONOMY

70percent of profit comes from privately owned enterprises

904.3 million U.S. dollars invested in foreign funded investment land

international investment (x100 million yuan):

756.1accumulative registered capital276.8 foreign funded enterprises

1351.0 accumulative total investment

tourists:AM

OU

NT

OF

PEO

PLE

(x10

0,00

0)

153045607590

105120135150

1981-

19851986

-1990

1991-

19951996

-2000

2001-

2005

TIME PERIOD

international tourists per time period

$940$2,809

$7,355$12,148

$14,750

profit from tourism per time period TIME PERIOD U.S. DOLLARS (x10,000,000)

1981-19851986-19901991-19951996-20002001-2005

29.5

49.2

91.9

120.3

145.9

eight to ninebecause of the olympics, tourism will grow

percent annually in a decade

Beijing’s economy, currently, is going stronger than most would think. Many predicted that the Olympic boom would eventually lead to a bust as the games ended and foreigners returned home. But, the city continues to gain profit from a growing number of people wanting to come see the city for themselves. The tourism helps collect profit, letting China invest in allowing foreign countries and businesses to enter. The strong economy draws outside business in and allows Beijing to reap a profit off of them.

B EIJIN GCULTURE

15 million people livingin the cityWith more interactions with other countries, China has been able to see the development of others, influencing its own growth in the process. China is developing, not only a highway system like California, but as well as a subway system like New York.Smaller ethnic groups find mobility easier with the rapid modernization and Beijing has come to include a wide range of different ethnicites.

This globalization influences not only the population base, but as well as its art field, as different techniques and cultures impact the art world.

Since the Tiananmen Square incident, Avant-garde art has been banned from China because the government feared that it undermined the Communist Party. It was labeled as hostile and anti-authoritarian. Any kind of art and intellectualism was ridiculed and nearly destroyed.

But, with the revitalization of art within the city of Beijing, artists are moving away from socialist realism and explored different styles, incorporating minor ethnicity and western techniques.

With the return of art to Beijing, many believe that this is only the beginning for contemporary art for Beijing and the rest of China.

7 .5 in urban areas)(

ethnicities

HAN96%

}4%MANCHU

HUIMONGOLIAN

KOREAN

foreigners

>70,000 foreigners live in Beijing

Intellectualism and artistic freedom was condemned underneath Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. Remaining damaged pieces, like the one above, have become pieces of art themselves, a reflection of history.

Artists, like Yue Minjun (to the right), are discovering a different art world with mixed techniques and various materials. Yue keeps a studio in Beijing and is apart of the revitalization of art within the city.

Factory 789 is a region in Beijing that was once an industrial area that has now become a district that many artists flock to. Below is only a small portion of the original map that shows the numerous galleries that are open with exhibitions.

The 789 district is important in the movement away from the Communist regime, sometimes called the birthplace of artistic rebirth with its concentration on Bauhaus-inspired works.

B EIJIN GARCHITECTURE

38percent of the corporate district will remain closed this year“ACCORDING TO BEIJING’S 11TH FIVE-YEAR PLAN (2006-2010), BEIJING SPENT MORE THAN

$200 MILLIONDEMOLISHING DILAPIDATED HOUSING AND URBAN BUILDINGS, REFURBISHING 25 HISTORIC AREAS, INCLUDING MANY OF THE CITY’S LANDMARKS, OLD STREETS, AND BEAUTIFUL, FOUR-CORNER RESIDENCES THAT DATE FROM THE IMPERIAL PE-RIOD, AND RESTORING BEIJING’S MANY HISTORIC PLACES, INCLUDING THE FORBIDDEN CITY.”

Hutongs are long narrow alleys lined by courtyard houses. Beijing’s hutongs were created in the Ming dynasty in 1368. Since 2002, the city has tried to curb the destruction of these types of homes to perserve a dying lifestyle.

Beijing’s incorporation of foreign lifestyles is reflected in a lot of their architecture. With more Chinese buying cars, the more the infrastructure of the city begins to shape itself to the needs of the people: more freeways, wider roads, and garages. This assimilation leads to a blending of traditional Chinese systems and modern international methods.

foreign architectsoffice for metropolitan architecture (rem koolhaas & ole scheeren)

herzog & de meuron

ptw architects

paul andreu

norman foster

}

Beijing has learned to not only embrace the rich heritage that exists in its own traditional architecture, but also incorporate foreign designs to their cityscape. The city has used its resources to not only preserve old relics, but as well as invest in the infrastructure for the future, creating a diverse landscape with Chinese and foreign architecture.

steven holl

NARRATIVEBeijing is fast becoming one of the megacities of the world. Because of its growing power, the city has quickly been incorporating technology and characteristics of many of the most modern cities, like New York.

Since the Olympics, Beijing has been reaping the benefits that come with the tourists. Opening its borders to the world not only allows people to come explore the city and spend money, but also brings foreign investment. Beijing is making profit because businesses WANT to be here and are willing to pay to achieve this. Beijing is discovering that capitalism can actually gain them a profit and benefit smaller, privately-owned businesses.

And, along with the rapid modernization, comes people’s ability to be mobile. Different ethnicities are able to move in and bring their own culture to mesh with Beijing’s. This revitalization brings a reinvigoration in the art world.

Beijing’s rapid development can also be seen through its architecture. The city’s mixture of traditional and modern buildings symbolizes how the city has been able to blend the different cultures together to create a whole new cityscape that cannot be replicated in any other city.

China’s Beijing is experiencing a revitalization that strengthens their economy and embraces different cultures. It is taking advantage of a rapid urbanization to allow themselves the ability to contend with other megacities in the world.