Steel Compass

architecture.

In the United States of America, there is impressive infrastructure like the sky scrapers in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Ingenuity from the best entrepreneurs, engineers and architects (and nature in the Canyon’s case) created iconic structures that tourists from far and wide spend their pensions, life savings, and vacations on witnessing. America isn’t alone however; there is:

o Eiffel Tower in Paris,
o the Colosseum in Rome,
o the Taj Mahal in India,
o and the Temple of Heaven in China

Speaking of ingenuity and China, dramatic modern buildings designed have created a thrilling vanguard for thematic cities, majestic innovations, and ingenious—beyond artistic novelties, that has transformed the land mass into a futuristic nucleus of renowned vision and ambitious style. Even the ancient Chinese architecture that have stood the test of time that feature timberwork, stone carving, intricate artistry, and infamous multi-inclined roofs that have flat or cone-like finishes that jut into the atmosphere at the sides. Even transportation is peaking in Chinese cities. Right now, Shanghai has the fastest train the world. The invention, a high-speed magnetic levitation, train is called the Maglev. The intriguing oriental-industrial presence of the old buildings, coupled with the effervescent dominance of the newer structures and plethora of technological advancements has made city life in China a hot commodity.

all hail the bird’s nest: olympic stadium
It seems that it was designed with the creatures of flight in mind. The super stadium is perched upon land that stretches long and wide to accommodate the 90,000+ people that’s sure to be in attendance at the 2008 Olympics. The grid like dome resembles the placement of branches and twigs, woven to immaculate perfection. Herzog & de Meuron is a Swiss architect firm behind the grand construction (amongst other stakeholders). Though the Olympics are a figment of Beijing’s past, the creation is still used for local, national, and international entertainment and sporting purposes.

a grim past: the terracotta warriors museum
In 1974, a handful of farmers happened to stumble upon a discovery that would make the history books and establish a placid museum. Despite the toe tag attached to the body of knowledge that these excavators unearthed, the Terracotta Warriors Museum is yet another notch on China’s belt. The excavation happened to uncover three pits of some 8,000 horse and soldier figures belonging to Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The story the tour guide gave entailed an account of the Emperor’s personality and reason for this grand gesture. Huang was insecure about dying and being alone in the afterlife, therefore, he had his whole army replicated to be buried with him. There is even a rumor that Huang had all of his concubines buried as well, only, they were buried alive. Though the legend behind the museum is a little dense with uncertainty, the Chinese honor the late Emperor, and tourists from far and wide come to witness the colossal pits, and engage in the other festivities that take place in the park.


Other sources:
China’s Museum. (n.d.). Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. [web]. Retrieved from http://www.chinamuseums.com/qinshihuangt.htm

Reena, J. (2005, December 23). China’s New Architectural Wonders. [web]. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com//innovate/content/dec2005/id20051223_903049.htm

Gluckman, R. (n.d.). Flash City. [web]. Retrieved from http://www.gluckman.com/ShanghaiArchGeo.html

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Shanghai Maglev Train. [web]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Maglev_Train