In spite of what everything China's failed to accomplish, modern
chinese architecture can still perhaps offer that last ray of hope for
the future for humanity. Especially when you factor in fourth-world
India, where the ugly people there just look so damn dwarfish and
disgusting compared to the Taj Mahal! Come on, guy, at least in China
you see this:
http://www.worldtraveldirectories.com/China/Modern-Architecture.html

So here's a very interesting and highly recommended link on the state
of Chinese architecture (pardon that atrocious accent of the host):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIKij7-rjio

While the comments focus on those two pairs of shoes, don't you guys
think there's something slightly deeper here? RAK's not the most
artistic guy in the world, but he always has a soft spot for
architecture. Why? Can it may be visuospatial IQ? Er, no !?, because
architecture's not a Cubic Zirconia. It's not a cheap non-AMG Daimler
Benz. Architecture's form and function combined. It's practical and
thus way more meaningful than some sculpture or 2-D canvas.

In Ayn Rand's Fountainhead, "Howard Roark is the hero of the novel,
whom Rand portrays as a paragon of Objectivist ideals (though, when the
novel was published the term Objectivism had not yet been coined). He
is an aspiring architect with a unique, uncompromising creative vision,
which contrasts sharply with the staid and uninspired conventions of
the architectural establishment. Roark takes pleasure in the act of
creation, but is constantly opposed by "the hostility of second-hand
souls" and those unwilling or afraid to recognize his creative ability.
Roark serves as the basic mold from which the protagonists of Rand's
other great novel, Atlas Shrugged, are cast. Roark is the paragon of a
successful man as visualized by Rand."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountainhead Rand is Russo-Jewish.

In striking contrast, what did this Chinese architect have to say about
Chinese architecture? Start around 5'. No answer as to why Chinese
architecture suddenly changed so fast. FF to 5'27": "People don't
really care about the background." "What do you think is the biggest
problem facing Chinese architecture?" he was then questionned. There
was a minute of indeterminate wrestling, but ultimately at 6'38": "They
[foreign architects] cannot make constructive or creative works." Yet
at 7'02": "So many projects do not have any connection with society. I
think this is a big problem."

So I take it that that's that exquisite contrast between the underlying
philosophy of traditional Chinese conformity vs Jewish-American
individualism......between confromist Chinese and individualist Jewish
thought even if it's pretense....not saying which one is right, for we
know ultimately what's right is what has ultimately prevailed, not the
other way round. "Time will tell." But damn, this illustration is just
a tad caricature, with no disrespect intended.

RAK enjoyed it. Hope you guys enjoyed it too.