Mishima's muse - The Golden Pavilion

In Japanese literature many talented writers hav had their works translated. But none has been as influential as 3 times Nobel Prize nominated Yukio Mishima (1925-1970). Especially his death is quite spectacular as he committed seppuku (Japanese suicide by the sword) upon having failed to inspire a coup d'état in Tokyo.

The Temple of Golden Pavilion or 金閣寺 (Kinkakuji) is probably one of the strongest novels by this eccentric Japanese writer. The intense psychological development of the main character is a must read for every would be psychiatrists!

The temple was at first a residence for the most powerful shogun of the Ashikaga period, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After his death it became the grounds for a zen temple, until the last century.
It is a fact that this marvellous 14th century Buddhist temple was burned down by a residing monk in 1955. This strange story is the main theme of Mishima's novel, where he  describes the schizophrenic development of monk Mizoguchi. Especially the narrating of the love hate relationship the monk has with the Golden Pavilion is phenomenal.

The Japanese authorities started building the structure again after the arson and this is the result that can be visited in Kyoto.

The Golden Pavilion of Kyoto is such an history-filled site that will capture every visitor's imagination. No wonder Mishima described this architectural wonder in his amazing novel.

The Golden pavilion with its phoenix watching over the temple grounds is one of my most favourite tourist spots Japan. Hence my photographic post of this Buddhist temple.

 

Hotels to dream away

Main building, Madarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hotel lobby with city view, Hyatt, Seoul, South Korea

Huge raintree, Le Meridien, Chiang Rai, Thailand

View of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and villas, Crowne Plaza, Lijiang, China

Hotel library lobby, 137 pillars house, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bed room, Leela Kempinksi, Udaipur, India

View from lobby, The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Government architecture in China

Upon reading an Chinese contemporary art article, I got fascinated by one Chinese photographer.

Bai Xiaoci has chosen the imposing architecture of government buidling as his subject. 

These buidling are vast, majestic and with enormous plazas in front of them. 

Bai Xiaoci has made trips all over China to photograph these wonders of China's urbanization. With his project he wants to show the Chinese growth, that even penetrates in the remote countryside. His works has also a lot of symbolism, like the power of the impersonal Communist Pary versus the small common people.

Party members often want to show of their status and start to organise huge building projects in the hope to be commemorated after their reign. The big market of real estate also wants a cut in the deal. Wherever the Party is building, new housing projects with mushroom out of the ground and pricees will soar up.

So if you want to enjoy more pictures of Chinese urbanization, check out Bai Xiaoci's website.

People’s Government, Yingquan County, Fuyang, Anhui Province

City Government, Shenzhen

People’s Government, Changxing, Zhejiang Province

Chengdu city government building, Sichuan-province

Ordos city government building, Inner mongolia

Hohhot city government building, Inner mongolia

Ningxiang county government building, Zhejiang-province

Shanghai city government building. pudong district

Beijing Building views - Pictures



Soho



Forbidden City

Sanlitun Village

2nd Ring Road electricity box

Temple of Heaven

The Egg - National center for the performing arts

Watercube, sun playing with the molecular structure



The Great Wall



The Opposite house - Luxury hotel

Shanghai crash

A 13-floor apartment building under construction collapses in Minhang district, Shanghai Saturday morning June 27, 2009, killing one worker.
The construction fever hasn't stopped in China and new buildings are built every month in most major cities. Because of the high demand top materials and top workers are not always available. So the crash of this massive building is probably caused by bad materials and construction errors.

Bird's nest

Christmas and New Year coming soon! That means a lot of reviews and lists will be published about 2007. One of those list is published by the famous magazine TIME. TIME compiled a top 10 of architectural marvels. In this list 3 architectures from Beijing were included.

Beijing National Stadium, the new CCTV headquarters and the office building project "Linked Hybrid" represent the modern side of Beijing.

The Bird's nest as the Beijing National Stadium is called will be finished around March 2008. The design was developed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. The 250,000 km² stadium is to be built with 36 km of unwrapped steel, with a combined weight of 45,000 tonnes. It is clear why the stadium gets its peculiar name. Since November last year the stadium can stand on its own without any support. The works started in December 2003 and when it will be completed the stadium will have a capacity of 100.000 spectators. The stadium will be used as the main stadium and most track and field competitions as well as the opening and closing ceremony will take place in The Bird's nest.

As I have seen it, the stadium (most other stadia as well) look finished from the outside. The Olympic green, which includes the Olympic village and the stadia, is well guarded and no unauthorized visitors are allowed.

The CCTV Headquarters is a skyscraper which will be used as the new headquarters of the Chinese Central TeleVision. It is a strange site nowadays in the busy Central Business District of Beijing. Like two towers of Pisa bending towards each other. The Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas designed the building. It is seen as a architectural challenge to be realised.

The remaining architectural wonders of 2007 according to TIME magazine:


Linked Hybrid, Beijing. Steven Holl's retail/office complex will have sky bridges connecting each of its eight towers.

Heathrow Five, London. Richard Rogers' firm is giving Heathrow a big new terminal under a vast, column-free arch.


Caja Madrid Tower, Madrid.Norman Foster's oil-and-gas-company headquarters will have rooftop wind turbines.


IAC Headquarters, New York Frank Gehry Partners.


The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York Sanaa.


Bloch Building, Nelson-Atkins, Museum of Art addition, Kansas City, Mo. Steven Holl Architects.


Federal Building, San Francisco Morphosis.


Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle Weiss/Manfredi.