By now, with all the press about China, you've probably have some idea in your heads that certain Chinese cities are like the real life version of the dystopian cyberpunk worlds of Blade Runner and Star Wars. Sadly, China isn't all that advanced, but one building in Beijing definitely is.
Located on the border between Beijing's downtown CBD area and the Russian district of U-Town, Parkview Green stands out as a giant glass pyramid. Built in 2011 and opened in 2012, the building is one of Beijing's most energy efficient. According to Parkview's website, the all-glass exterior of the building helps create its own microclimate.
From the outside, the glass and steel structure clashes with its standard brick and mortar neighbors. On the inside, it clashes with pretty much any other shopping mall in Beijing. Unlike the various giant empty megamalls of China, Parkview Green actually has customers. It houses offices, famous restaurants, and luxury stores such as the Ivanka Trump store. Yes, that's a jewellery chain named after Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka.
So, while the luxury shopping is cool, and the green nature of the building is awesome, what makes Parkview Green special is the art. Not only is the building a view to behold, some of the works of art displayed all over the mall is too. For reasons unknown to us regular folk, the management at Parkview Green has splattered various art projects all over the mall.
Guarding the elevators are the giant robots Getter Robo and Mazinger Z. Standing tall outside of a restaurant in an obscure corner of the pyramid is the Darth Vader, and in another corner, a giant art piece of a horned man being rammed against a wall by a fart-propelled bull.
The art installations at Parkview Green change seasonally. Most of the time it's just placement, but every now and again new pieces will show up. For instance, the Star Wars collection is fairly new to the mall.
Top Photo: CityWeekend
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Eric is a Beijing based writer and all around FAT man. You can contact him @FatAsianTechie@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @FatAsianTechie