GUANGZHOU | Projects & Construction [Archive] - Page 2

hkskyline

April 29th, 2009, 12:12 PM

Guangzhou buyers snap up 125 units at luxury W Residences
22 April 2009
South China Morning Post

It has been dubbed the most luxurious apartment block in Guangzhou.

W Residences, which will be managed by W Hotel, is being promoted by developer KWG Property Holding as offering facilities that are on par with the Four Seasons serviced apartments in Hong Kong.

Located in Zhujiang New Town, destined to be Guangzhou's new central business district, the project comprises 337 units with sizes of 40, 80 and 120 square metres.

Sales started last Saturday, two days after the project was launched in a glamorous event that included a fashion show featuring top Hong Kong models.

The event caught the attention of buyers, and 125 units were sold at the weekend at an average price of 25,000 yuan (HK$28,399) per square metre, generating revenue of about 250 million yuan for the developer.

Analysts said ongoing interest in the project, as well as in the imminent launch of the Dragon Lake Forest Park by Hong Kong developer Sun Hung Kai Properties, would provide an indication of the state of the luxury property market in Guangzhou.

"The financial crisis did not have any impact on our plan to launch this project. Demand for luxury properties is always there, no matter what the market situation is," said Terry Chen, a director of KWG Property.

"Luxury property in Guangzhou sells for only a fraction of the price it fetches in other mainland cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. So it is attractive to buyers."

Eric Lam, the general manager of Colliers International in Guangzhou, expects the project to appeal in particular to senior executives from Japan and South Korea because they are more used to compact flats.

Although the project was launched shortly after the provincial government unveiled a 15-point stimulus package to help revive Guangdong's ailing property sector, John Tian, the national director of Jones Lang LaSalle, believed the introduction of the measures had little impact on the developer's launch decisions.

The stimulus package includes cutting taxes on purchases of homes and lifting restrictions on buyers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

The provincial government said it would allow developers to delay payment on land purchases made last year for as long as two years.

It would also allow developers to pay land appreciation tax in instalments.

The provincial government also encouraged local developers that have listed their stocks abroad to sell A shares on the domestic market.

Home sales in the province last year dropped 21 per cent from 2007 levels, the first decline since 2003, according to the Guangdong Real Estate Association.

Foreigners including people from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan had been prohibited from buying more than one unit each since 2007 to curb speculation and prevent the local property market from overheating.

"The high-end property market is fairly stable in Guangzhou largely because of limited supply," according to Mr Tian.

"There aren't many sites suitable for high-end properties and most of them are in Zhujiang New Town."

Buyers interested in units in the area were mainly local businessmen as well as those from elsewhere in the Pearl River Delta, he said.

This class of buyers were typically end-users and attracted to the projects because of limited supply, he added.

SHKP, Hong Kong's biggest developer by market value, wants to make its Dragon Lake Forest Park project a top-class and probably the most expensive residential development in Guangzhou.

Construction of the first phase of the development, which will provide about 245 villas and twin houses, would be completed by the middle of next year, the developer said.

The first batch of about 100 units will come onto the market probably next month, and the prospective launch has already made the development the talk of the town.

mckendy

May 2nd, 2009, 07:54 PM

theres only one question i always asking about chines cities its look like everyone live on a big building did someone have some photos of chines urban area were people live in small house or something like that

chinagypsy

May 9th, 2009, 02:11 AM

snapdragon

May 10th, 2009, 05:17 AM

someone said: Wow! 10 years ago this city was probably smaller than Smallton, Montana! One just wonders how China will manage to keep the control of its people... All these buildings are great creations, but at the expense of poor Chinese labourers that make $.27 an hour!

OK, first of all, Guangzhou 10 years ago was STILL very huge! :) and as far as the poor Chinese labor/migrant workers, they are darn lucky to have work! Even though they are not making "our" minimum wage, they are making MORE than they ever did working in the village/farm. The typical working wage of a peasant farmer is about 250 USD/year!!! They come to the city, they can make perhaps 500 to 600/month RMB, so that works out to 7,200 RMB/year=$1,200 USD...pretty good wages.

I lived in Guangzhou from 2001 to 2006 and plan to return in 2010. Love that dirty, gritty city! And someone had some photos posted that had lots of "very blue sky"...those are the touched up photos that the bureau of tourism puts out, too funny! I can promise you, it is a rare day to see clear blue sky in Guangzhou. Usually you have to get good photos around Oct. or Nov., same for Hong Kong.

dude i think u are talking about ageold figures .No migrant worker works for less than 2000 yuan per month .They directly reject teh jobs these days.I know a person in shanghai who is forced to pay his workers 100 to 150 yuan per day he runs a decoration office .(decorating buildings and so on ) .You will never find anyone who works fro 500 yuan per month .The least rate in the so east china right now is 70 rmb yuan per day in north china which still still would make it above 2000 yuan per month . Infact electricians and every low level worker works for at leats 2000 yuan and also taxi drivers Those guys haev to pay like 6000 yuan per month rent .So yeah pay scales have changed a lot from 2001 .:ohno:

I would say a low end figure would be 80 yuan per day whihc would make it 10 yuan per hour or 1.3 USD including the purchasing power parity it would be 2.6 USD per hour . ( Ofcourse many work probably for 10 hours not 8 in that case it would be 8 rmb per hour or 1.18 USD or 2.36 USD includign ppp)

Which is almost 10 times that projected by western audience .
@chinagypsy but i think u are right about figures u quoted when it comes to average pays adn so on .They are similar to those mentioned by National beurea of statistics . Which is much less the than real picture in China (mainly becuase ppl fudge salary figures and report income in private sector :nuts:

The problem with china is not migrant workers not getting paid well .They problem is even educated ppl who graduate from say top unis like fudan end up wtih jobs at 3000 yuan per month while even migrant workers whom their parents employees for their business also earn the same thing :ohno::banana:
IT has not yet developed a large private entreprise to absorb high end talent .ofcourse dont get em wrong many graduates from stju tsingua to end up with jobs at 250k yuan per annum but that is ofcourse the really lucky ones .They need to create more jobs in that sector

YelloPerilo

May 11th, 2009, 01:31 AM

A migrant worker working on construction earn on average 100 to 120 Yuan per day and they usually work six days a week, some even 7 days. The average monthly income is about 2500 to 3000 Yuan. Migrant workers working in the service industry get less pay. They earn around 80 to 100 Yuan per day. My cleaning lady in Shanghai gets 15 Yuan per hour, but I also heard that othes only pay 10 or 12 Yuan per hour as well.

staff

May 11th, 2009, 02:03 AM

And someone had some photos posted that had lots of "very blue sky"...those are the touched up photos that the bureau of tourism puts out, too funny!
Yes, surely all pictures of Guangzhou with blue sky are photoshoped propaganda images published by the evil government.

Propaganda goes both ways, obviously.

snapdragon

May 11th, 2009, 02:21 AM

Yes, surely all pictures of Guangzhou with blue sky are photoshoped propaganda images published by the evil government.

Propaganda goes both ways, obviously.

cumon lets get real here . Almost every tourism bureau on earth fudges its figures .For that matter even so called free singapore .When every country on earth does it. We just call that marketing , When china does it we call it propaganda :ohno::nuts: .

The only place which actually looks like those pictures is australia .

staff

May 11th, 2009, 02:33 AM

Perhaps I should use a sarcasm smiley next time...

snapdragon

May 11th, 2009, 03:03 AM

^^ hehehehe ;)

Dequal

May 12th, 2009, 05:31 PM

Guanghzou Opera House is on fire, only a few months after the TVCC in Beijing burnt down.

http://www.archidose.org/Blog/hadid-burns.jpg

SilentStrike

May 12th, 2009, 07:06 PM

How can there be a fire so easily?? this makes me angry, so many beatiful buildings just getting destroyed, such a waste of money and time.

How bad is the damage? I hope the delay wont be so long.

Jim856796

May 13th, 2009, 04:17 AM

I can't believe that the Guangzhou Opera House would catch fire. It looks like the damage might be severe. And since the Asian Games are only eighteen months away, it may take a while to do repair work on that opera house and complete the structure. First the Table Tennis Gymnasium in Beijing, then the TVCC Building, and now this?! Why the hell must the People's Republic of China's uniquely-designed buildings catch fire?

hkskyline

June 11th, 2009, 12:55 PM

Guangzhou Investment snaps up last residential site in CBD
11 June 2009
South China Morning Post

Guangzhou Investment, the property arm of the city government, yesterday acquired the last residential site in the core business district for 15,324 yuan (HK$17,382) per square metre, 358 per cent higher than the previous site in the area sold for in 2005.

The developer has spent more than 1.31 billion yuan on three sites in Guangzhou and Jiangmen so far this month, including the latest acquisition. The site, near Pearl River Park, attracted 16 bidders, including Poly Real Estate, KWG Property Holding, China Vanke and New City Group.

Guangzhou Investment was successful on the 50th bid, for 345 million yuan, 154 per cent higher than the 136 million yuan opening bid and beating the 270 million yuan expected by analysts.

The total investment cost of the project would be about 445 million yuan, a company source said.

"It is the last residential site available for sale in Pearl River New Town, and property prices in the area reached 30,000 yuan per square metre. We had to bid aggressively for it," he said.

The project is expected to fetch more than 30,000 yuan per square metre. Alan Chiang Sheung-lai, the head of residential property at property consultant DTZ, believes the better than expected land auction result would boost residential prices, with developers expected to raise the asking prices of new projects.

"The outcome of the auction reflected a vote of confidence from developers and pointed to higher prices ahead," he said, adding that prices for the project have to reach at least 25,000 yuan per square metre to generate a reasonable profit.

The 6,349 sqmetre site could provide a floor area of 22,514 sqmetres.

Property prices at KWG's Apex, a new project in the area, reached 25,000 yuan per square metre this year, according to Ellis Wong, the general manager at Centaline (China) in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou Investment acquired two commercial and residential sites in Jiangmen for about 968 million yuan earlier this month.

staff

July 8th, 2009, 01:58 PM

http://www.chinahospitalitynews.com/en/2009/07/08/12512-grand-opening-for-chinas-largest-eco-theme-hotel/
Grand Opening For China's Largest Eco Theme Hotel

July 8, 2009 | Print | Email Email | Category: Industry News

The new Chimelong Hotel in Guangzhou, China's largest eco-theme hotel, has celebrated its grand official opening following a six-month soft opening.

Located close to Chimelong Paradise, Chimelong Water Park, Chimelong Xiangjiang Safari Park, and Chimelong International Circus, the 360,000-square-meter hotel has 1,500 guest rooms. Guests staying there can enjoy one-stop services for hotel accommodation, circus performances, and international cuisine.

The hotel's brand new convention center is said to be the largest in south China — covering an area of 30,000 square meters. The convention hall is equipped with hi-tech facilities and is comprised of 36 flexible multi-function rooms that can cater for meetings, seminars, and banquets.

hkskyline

July 9th, 2009, 05:19 PM

By fosk from skyscrapers.cn :

http://image155.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20090708/22/52698820200907082213492003989153362_043.jpg

http://image155.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20090708/22/52698820200907082213492003989153362_044.jpg

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http://image155.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20090708/22/52698820200907082213492003989153362_031.jpg

http://image155.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20090708/22/52698820200907082213492003989153362_000.jpg

http://image155.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20090708/22/52698820200907082213492003989153362_028.jpg

http://image155.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20090708/22/52698820200907082213492003989153362_026.jpg

hkskyline

July 17th, 2009, 04:38 PM

Poly Starts Building at Guangzhou Asian Games Plot

GUANGZHOU, July 16, SinoCast -- Poly Real Estate Group Co Ltd. (SHSE: 600048), a leading property developer in China, debuted its commodity house building at the Guangzhou Asian Games plot on July 15, 2009, becoming the first largest-sized real estate developer in the nation launching such a building.

The building, with a total building area of 134,000 square meters, includes houses of merely 870 sets.

Yu Ying, general manager of the Guangzhou branch of Poly Real Estate, said that the company obtained the plot for the commodity house building at a price of about CNY 3,000 a square meter, which is not expensive in accordance with current situation.

Currently, prices of house buildings, which are developed by small-sized real estate developers, around the Guangzhou Asian Games plot reaches about CNY 5,400 a square meter to CNY 7,500 a square meter. And the Shanghai-listed company predicted that the there had been huge appreciation space of no less than 50%.

hkskyline

July 25th, 2009, 06:34 PM

New rail link cuts no time off trip
25 July 2009
SCMP

A trip on the 50 billion yuan (HK$56.8 billion) high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and Guangzhou will take as long or longer than the existing through train because the new service will terminate 23 kilometres from the provincial capital's centre.

Unlike the present line, which stops in the heart of Guangzhou's business district at Tianhe , the much touted Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong railway due to open in 2015 will terminate southeast of the city centre at Shibi, Panyu .

Travellers arriving there after a 48-minute ride from Hong Kong will find convenient links to the mainland rail network, including a much faster ride to the central city of Wuhan , Beijing or other points north.

But to get to Guangzhou's city centre, passengers will have to transfer to Guangzhou Metro and ride it for 18 stops - a journey of about 45 minutes, the

A Guangzhou Metro spokesman said: "It is a normal metro train. We haven't decided the speed and the frequency of the trains. It will probably be slower than the normal speed in the beginning."

The through train to Guangzhou East station takes an hour and 40 minutes, meaning it will actually take just as long to reach the city centre using the new express, and then the Guangzhou Metro.

One infrastructure expert had doubts about the express link's effectiveness for Hong Kong people.

"[They] will have to transit by travelling at least 45 minutes on the Metro to reach the city centre," said Zheng Tianxiang, a Pearl River Delta transport expert and an adviser to the Guangzhou city government. "The arrangement will be rather troublesome for them."

Hong Kong's section of the new rail line will cost 39 billion yuan and the Shenzhen-to-Guangzhou link 11 billion yuan, the Ministry of Railways said on Friday.

Work on the Shenzhen-to-Guangzhou section has already begun and is expected to be completed before November next year. The Hong Kong government hopes to start building its part of the project by the end of this year.

Announcing the Executive Council's approval of the plan in April last year, the government said the new line "will cut the Hong Kong-Guangzhou travelling time to just under 50 minutes - twice as fast as the Guangzhou-Hong Kong through trains on the East Rail alignment".

The Transport and Housing Bureau has heavily promoted the 48-minute ride to Guangzhou as a time-saving service between the two cities.

"The proposed rail line will provide fast, convenient and reliable services to and from Hong Kong and Guangzhou via Shenzhen," a government spokesman said late last year.

The bureau estimates that in 2016, 88,000 passengers will use the new link to get to Shenzhen and Guangzhou daily, while 11,000 passengers will transit to other Chinese cities through Guangzhou's new station.

Du Wen, head of the team that selected the site for the new station said Shibi was chosen because of its abundant land. Compensation for affected villagers also would be cheaper there than in other places.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University transport specialist Hung Wing-tat said: "Quite a number of Chinese cities are building their new railway stations outside the city centre and this is also an international trend. In many foreign countries, new railway stations are no longer in the city centre because of a shortage of land."

But he said the government should make it clear that the Guangzhou it referred to when promoting the link was not Guangzhou central. "Panyu is part of Guangzhou but it is pretty far away from heart of the city. It is wrong to assume that the express link will take the passengers straight to Guangzhou's business district, like the existing rail line is doing," he said.

googleabcd

July 27th, 2009, 06:38 PM

The average salary of Guangzhou in 2008 is more than 3000 RMB per month, around $450 USD per month. Considering the purchasing power, it should be equal to $1,000 USD.

In addition, the personal tax law is not very strictly implemented in China, so there are lots of hidden income, like the stock and real estimate.

According to the statuses of my middle school classmates, most people graduated from the university with 2-3 years working experience can make more than $10,000 USD a year. Since I was doing computer science for undergraduate, my classmates in the university make much more than normal people, like $20,000 a year.

someone said: Wow! 10 years ago this city was probably smaller than Smallton, Montana! One just wonders how China will manage to keep the control of its people... All these buildings are great creations, but at the expense of poor Chinese labourers that make $.27 an hour!

OK, first of all, Guangzhou 10 years ago was STILL very huge! :) and as far as the poor Chinese labor/migrant workers, they are darn lucky to have work! Even though they are not making "our" minimum wage, they are making MORE than they ever did working in the village/farm. The typical working wage of a peasant farmer is about 250 USD/year!!! They come to the city, they can make perhaps 500 to 600/month RMB, so that works out to 7,200 RMB/year=$1,200 USD...pretty good wages.

I lived in Guangzhou from 2001 to 2006 and plan to return in 2010. Love that dirty, gritty city! And someone had some photos posted that had lots of "very blue sky"...those are the touched up photos that the bureau of tourism puts out, too funny! I can promise you, it is a rare day to see clear blue sky in Guangzhou. Usually you have to get good photos around Oct. or Nov., same for Hong Kong.

hkskyline

July 29th, 2009, 07:40 PM

Guangzhou used to be the key port in southern China. It flourished way before Hong Kong's rise under British rule. 3000 RMB is quite a decent new graduate salary in the urban areas!

hkskyline

August 19th, 2009, 04:58 PM

Developers face penalties over Guangzhou sites
12 August 2009
SCMP

Guangzhou R&F Properties, Poly Real Estate Group and Gemdale Group are facing penalties from the Guangzhou government for not completing the purchase of four development sites.

Huang Wenbo, the undersecretary of the Bureau of Land Resources and Housing Management of Guangzhou Municipality, told mainland media that the bureau had investigated 27 sites sold at the market peak in 2007 and found some remained undeveloped.

Four sites acquired by R&F, Poly, Gemdale as well as another by small local developer China Horoy in 2007 were still untouched and although the initial deposit had been paid, the balance of the land premium was still outstanding.

The sites were sold for 8.07 billion yuan (HK$9.15 billion) in 2007.

The deposit and sites would be forfeited if the developers gave up the site. The government would also claim for the decrease in value after any resale of the sites.

If the developer is willing to develop the sites, the government would allow it to postpone the payment for up to two years.

The sites included R&F's residential site in Baiyan district, Poly's two sites in Jinshazhou area and Gemdale's site in Panyu district.

Huang Tao, a project manager at Centaline's Guangzhou office, said the government had the right to impose penalties of about 10 per cent of the reserve prices based on the land sale agreement.

"I don't think developers would resume the development plan as the land prices have dropped significantly in recent years," he said. "Gemdale bought the site for about 6,000 yuan per square metre two years ago. However, the site is worth 4,000 yuan per square metre only, based on the latest transactions."

Lee Wee Liat, a senior analyst at Nomura International, said: "If the government makes the developers forfeit the sites, it is a signal to developers that they have to be more cautious in obtaining land.

"If you dare to purchase the site at a record high price, you have to make sure that you are able to develop it within the timeframe."

z0rg

August 19th, 2009, 08:27 PM

Proposal for F1-1 plot. 200m, 46 floors. Developed by Kingold Group. This plot is next to Pearl River Tower.
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg64/z0rgggg/others2/1_QPcgpj.jpg

lina.zhou26

August 20th, 2009, 08:09 AM

i love these ,so great ,i cant say

hkskyline

September 15th, 2009, 07:54 PM

Pearl River Delta City Group to Have USD2trn in GDP
11 September 2009

SHENZHEN, September 11, SinoCast -- The first Pearl River Forum was held in Guangzhou on September 10. Liang Guiquan, president at the Gruangdong Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, expected at the forum that the city cluster in the Pearl River Delta area is expected to have USD 1.5 trillion to USD 2 trillion in GDP in the coming 15 to 20 years.

Now cities in the area are seeking to build a one-hour life circle and they are sparing no efforts to figure some problems out.

Hong Kong and Guangdong are interdependent and indispensable to each other at the moment. An important result of the cooperation is that Hong Kong has become a global trade and logistic centre as Guangdong became a base of manufacturing.

With access to Guangdong open, Hong Kong transferred most of its manufacturing companies to the province, so that it could focus on the development of service industry.

Even though Guangdong is upgrading its industries and is making moves to develop its own service industry, manufacturing will still be its primary industry.

hkskyline

September 19th, 2009, 02:04 PM

Along the Pearl River waterfront on 9/5 :

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20090905/IMG_2531.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20090905/IMG_2537.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20090905/IMG_2556.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20090905/IMG_2600.jpg

hkskyline

November 3rd, 2009, 03:31 PM

Guangzhou’s Big Improvements Coming
26 October 2009
Engineering News-Record

With three projects under construction and three more scheduled to start by the end of the year, officials in Guangzhou, China, are spending nearly $1 billion to prepare the north axis of the city’s center for the 16th Asian Games, which begin on Nov. 12, 2010. Although near-term activity is focused on improving the north axis, which covers 5.9 sq kilometers, the city has even more ambitious long-term plans, valued at $6.5 billion worth of construction, for the adjacent 16.1-sq-kilometer area, called the south axis.

“This place is wild” with activity, says Jeffrey Heller, president of Heller Manus Architects. The San Francisco-based architect is the lead planner for both city districts. It won a competition for the south axis master plan in September, with the San Francisco office of landscape architect SWA Group, AECOM Transportation, Oakland, Calif., and Shanghai Concept Engineering Consulting, the team’s Chinese associate. The team for the north axis master plan, with architectural interventions, which Heller Manus landed five years ago, also includes Seattle-based architect Callison and Simon & Associates, a San Francisco-based sustainability consultant.

The so-called downtown axis, including both the north and south sections, is 11 km long. It begins at the main railway station to the north and terminates at the Pearl River to the south. One project under way within the north axis is the Tianhe Sports Center Plaza, which involves landscape design for the existing three-stadium sports center, underground parking for 3,000 vehicles and 50,000 sq m of underground retail. Demolition work and landscaping also is under way for Hongcheng Plaza, which will be built after the Asian Games. Plans call for a 40,000-sq-m open-air plaza, 5,000 sq m of retail above ground and 40,000 sq m below ground, and 500 underground parking spaces. Work is under way on a new pedestrian bridge to Haixinsha Island, as well as landscape design for the island, a waterfront amphitheater and some small retail spaces. Projects expected to get under way by the end of the year involve the East Railway Station improvements, preservation of and improvements to the existing 6 Yun Neighborhood and the Huangpu Road Sky Bridge.

Heller says the south axis plan, which contains projects that will take years to realize, is likely to be complete by the middle of next year. The plan includes waterfront and transit-oriented development with a ferry terminal, multimodal transportation facilities and various urban land uses, including a central park. Heller says its plan was chosen over two others because of its approach to balancing growth with sustainability and preservation. The plan also integrates the traditional Lingnan culture.

A primary goal is to satisfy the growing transportation demand of the 10-million Guangzhou residents and future residents in the new town area using green transportation planning principles and an emphasis of nontraditional transportation modes, says Jeffrey Chan, AECOM’s senior transportation planner and project manager.

As the region industrialized, water-based transportation was used solely for the movement of goods, says Chan. Passenger transportation dwindled and gave way to roadway construction, he adds.

The new plan establishes and develops a comprehensive water-taxi system and greatly expands the very limited ferry-route system. Ferries would be used to complement and connect the light-rail and multimodal transit hubs, which would have high-density developments. “I introduced the concept of light rail in Guangzhou,” says Heller.

The heart of the south axis would be a 2.6-km-long park, divided into seven segments by crossing streets. “We are proposing three different types of park spaces along the length from north to south,” tied together by a continuous water element, says Rene Bihan, SWA’s managing principal.

In one section, an existing drainage canal would be turned into a naturalized waterway that is a functioning stormwater stream capable of mitigating flood conditions through an overflow basin at its edges while providing a public-use piece of nature that introduces the “ecopark” and a flood-control lake, says Bihan.

The team is hoping its plan will become a model for sustainability, livability and growth not only for Guangzhou but for other Chinese cities as well.

hkskyline

November 5th, 2009, 04:14 PM

Guangzhou's glittering financial centre turns into a 'Lost City'
3 October 2009
South China Morning Post

Citic Plaza is the symbol of Guangzhou's central business district. Built in 1997, the 80-storey megastructure - the world's tallest concrete building - towers over office blocks and shopping malls on busy Tianhe North Road.

A few kilometres to the south, a clutch of rivals are sprouting from the ground. Twin skyscrapers - East Tower and West Tower - are set to replace Citic Plaza as the tallest buildings in Guangzhou. Standing side by side, the East Tower will be a four-sided, 120-storey building on a five-storey podium, while the curved West Tower, also called the International Financial Centre, has been topped off at 110 storeys.

The towers are the centrepiece of the city's most significant new development - Zhujiang New Town. It occupies more than six square kilometres of prime real estate along the Pearl River, making it 15 times the size of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The Guangzhou government envisages the area as an answer to Shanghai's Pudong, a financial centre for the south to compete with Beijing and Shanghai in attracting multinational corporations and financial institutions. The eastern side of the development is devoted to luxury housing aimed at expats, financiers and executives. On the western side are the skyscrapers, hotels and convention facilities.

To fill the many new buildings, the city is offering some eye-catching financial inducements.

Companies that move their headquarters to Zhujiang New Town can receive a subsidy of up to 5 million yuan (HK$5.68 million), and they get a 30 per cent reduction on rent. Those who buy office space will receive a discount of 1,000 yuan per square metre, while the same is on offer for luxury housing for the companies' senior executives.

All in all, the vision is bold and grand. But it is also severely flawed.

Signs that all wasn't well emerged last summer when party secretary Zhu Xiaodan made uncharacteristically harsh remarks on the area's planning. "Zhujiang New Town is six square kilometres, but the planning is a mess," he said. "It is supposed to have everything, which confuses the major function. It is a CBD. How can we have a residential block on one side, a government office on the other and an outdoor food stall nearby?"

Zhu stressed that the aim of Zhujiang New Town was to attract top multinationals and international financial companies. To do this, he said, the town would need developers with a track record of doing the same thing in Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong.

Property prices in Zhujiang New Town are high. In April, W Residence, managed by W Hotel, was launched with an average sale price of 25,000 yuan per square metre, the most expensive residential property in Guangzhou.

However, the vast majority of apartments have been bought by developers and most are empty - meaning Zhujiang New Town is a desolate place. Locals have taken to calling it the "Lost City" and few taxi drivers know the roads.

While property speculation and poor planning are concerns, Zhujiang New Town's bigger problem is the futility of Guangzhou's quest to become a "financial hub". Free movement of international capital and a stock exchange - the two basic criteria - are missing. What is more, southern China already has a financial hub - Hong Kong (and to a lesser extent Shenzhen).

David Webb, an independent market researcher based in Hong Kong, categorically rejected Guangzhou's chances of becoming a financial hub. "You can't just build offices and put up a sign," he said.

SilentStrike

November 5th, 2009, 08:43 PM

^^ hope not.
Im sure its not as bad as the article says though.

hkskyline

November 6th, 2009, 11:50 AM

I passed by the area recently during my visit. It's a big construction site, although there are a few very big skyscrapers coming up. Perhaps will visit again once the dust settles and see what they do on the street side. From the skyline views, it's quite impressive.

Herzarsen

November 7th, 2009, 10:56 AM

^^ Exactly. The article is making premature conclusions. How something the size of 6 square km be humming with life when most of its buildings are still under construction? Obviously people will buy apartments there once they start working in near by office tower. Everything takes some time.

However, can someone tell me if the the area will have enough retail and restaurants? Or does it already? Thats one thing that I am worried about. It seems the great new skyscrapers being built are just office towers.

hkskyline

November 12th, 2009, 05:49 PM

Athlete village construction on schedule for 16th Asian Games
12 November 2009
Kyodo News

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 12 -- Construction of the athlete village for the 16th Asian Games in southern China's Guangdong Province next year is on schedule, the engineer behind the 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) project said Thursday.

Luo Guangzhai, director of the project, told reporters after a foundation laying ceremony, ''The construction progress is exactly as we planned.''

''The 10 billion yuan budget is not final, there will be more construction to come,'' Luo said, adding that some 8,000 units have been put on the market for post-Games sale.

He said final inspection on the project will be in April next year and they will be ready for use after June.

High-rise buildings are mostly under construction in the site that used to be fields. It takes about 45 minutes to commute from the city center Guangzhou when traffic is smooth.

During the Asian Games, most athletes, media, organizing crew and support personnel will live in the village, which also features a lake, a sport stadium, a media center, a small hospital and a light rail station connecting to the city center.

The Games, to start Nov. 12, 2010 and run through Nov. 27, are expected to draw 10,000 athletes from 45 member-states to compete in 42 games, including 28 Olympic sports and newly added cricket, dragon boat racing, dancing, roller sports and Chinese chess Xiangqi and Weiqi.

Japan dominated the quadrennial games since the first event held in 1950, but China took the lead in 1982. It took 165 gold medals in the last Games in Doha, with South Korea and Japan following with 58 and 50 gold.

''The 21st century is Asian era,'' said Shin Yong Suk, vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia which oversees the Games. ''The Asian Games are important even for the harmony of Asian people and countries. The world will realize the rising Asia.''

hkskyline

December 3rd, 2009, 04:02 PM

HORSES FOR COURSES IN GUANGZHOU
3 December 2009
China Daily

GUANGHZOU: Authorities in Guangzhou and Hong Kong signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday to construct equestrian facilities for the 16th Asian Games next year.

Under the memorandum, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will cooperate with the Guangzhou-based Pearl River Enterprises Group to develop an equestrian field in Conghua, about 40 km north of downtown Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

"The venues will allow Guangzhou to become the mainland's first city to hold equestrian events," said Xu Ruisheng, vice mayor of Guangzhou.

Hong Kong will play an important role in the preparations for November's Games as it successfully hosted equestrian events at last year's Beijing Olympic Games.

Early reports said Hong Kong and Macao would not host the Games' equestrian events due to high costs and difficulties renting fields.

"Support from Hong Kong will help ensure the smooth running of the equestrian events, which are an important part of the Asian Games," Xu, also deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee, said.

Besides construction of the venues, authorities in Hong Kong will provide technical support to their Guangzhou counterparts.

After the Games, the 150-hectare field will be renovated to meet the standards of racehorse training in Hong Kong, HKJC chairman Johan Chan said.

"The field opens a way for us to acquire more areas to secure racing's future," Chan said.

Next year's equestrian competitions, which will include eight smaller events apart from the Games, are expected to attract about 200 horses from 20 countries and regions.

The disease-free zone, which will range from Hong Kong to Conghua, will allow overseas horses to compete in the mainland for the first time.

"All horses will be strictly inspected as soon as they land," Chan said.

Horses for the event will be introduced via Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Chan said, adding the animals will be kept in designated areas.

Quarantine will be conducted by authorities in Guangdong and Shandong provinces.

Myouzke

December 4th, 2009, 03:10 AM

Guangdong Museum almost finish
Nov. 30th
skyscrapers.cn
http://image215.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20091130/21/52698820200911302126114288864698343_009.jpg
http://image215.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20091130/21/52698820200911302126114288864698343_000.jpg
http://image215.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20091130/21/52698820200911302126114288864698343_006.jpg
http://image215.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20091130/21/52698820200911302126114288864698343_014.jpg
http://image215.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20091130/21/52698820200911302126114288864698343_020.jpg

CoCoMilk

December 4th, 2009, 07:01 PM

^^ great!!

Þróndeimr

December 8th, 2009, 07:10 PM

This thread need some updates, there is loads of projects here! So i did an update, took me all day to figure out all this,
and there is still lots of information missing! This is just one specific area too, there is a lot more city outside.

Completion
A completion of all buildings taller than 150m which is either under construction,
approved or proposed. These are all in or near the Guangzhou CBD, between Guangzhou Avenue
Middle in the west, Huangop Avenue in the north, Huanan Quick Main Line in the east and Zhujiang River in the south.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/expl.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/MAPcopy1plotsnrcopy.jpg

1
Guangdong Provincial Procuratorate Building | 173m | 37fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/GuangdongProvincialProcuratorateBui.jpg

2
"Yun Jin Star" | 150m x2 | 48fl x2 | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/YunJinStar1.jpg

3
B1-1a | 170m | App
No render

4
B1-1b | 170m | App
No render

5
"china and thailand project" | 220 | 48fl | App
No render

6
B1-1c | 226m | App
No render

7
R&F Project | 175m | 40fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/RFProject1.jpg

8
The Pinnacle | 360m | 60 fl | U/C
http://www.skyscrapers.cn/forum/attachments/20080501_3aa475b1a123dae3081dY3165kVcsi03.jpg

9
Agile Project | 190m | 42fl | App
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/AgileProject1.jpg

10
Pearl River Tower | 309m | 70 fl | U/C
http://static.flickr.com/75/190678641_99b9619c01_o.jpg

11
Kingold Tower | 227m | 46 fl | App
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg64/z0rgggg/others2/626.jpg

12
Guangdong GSM Building | 165m | 37fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/GuangdongGSMBuilding1.jpg

13
GSM South | 160m | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/GSMSouth.jpg

14
Park Hyatt Guangzhou | 305m | 66fl | U/C
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/1328_1_1000%20Goettsch%20Park%20Hyatt%201.jpg

15
West Tower | 440m | 103fl | U/C
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/6500/proposaleight26mo6ac.jpg

16
Jia Sui Center | 189m | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/JiaSuiCenter3.jpg

17
Leatop Plaza | 302m | 60 fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/LeatopPlaza2s.jpg

18
Premier International Plaza | 249.8m | 57 fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/PremierInternationalPlaza1s.jpg

19
B2-10 Plot Project | 309m | 68 fl | Pro
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/B2-10Plot1s.jpg

20
Jiayu Platinum Hotel | 170m | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/JiayuPlatinumHote1s.jpg

21
Poly V Block | 180m | 40fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/PolyVBlock1.jpg

23
F2-4 Plot Project | 200m+x2 | 50flx2 | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/F2-4plot1.jpg

24
J2-2 | 290m | App
No render

25
East Tower | 530m | 116fl | U/C
http://photo2.bababian.com/usr553405/upload2/20090928/sd0KFjG569LY2d+ME3tBQMt7ukbfJVFisfRfuK9O9OEDJMthHGq3r5Q==.jpg

26
J2-5 | 250m | App
No render

27
C3-3 | 200m+ | 55fl | Pro
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/C3-3s.jpg

28
T Peak | 150m | 48fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/TPeak.jpg

29
W Hotel | 150m | 38fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/WHotel.jpg

30
G3-1 | 150m | 47fl | U/C
No render

31
G3-3 | 150m | 46fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/G3-3.jpg

32
G3-4 | 150m | 48fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/G3-4.jpg

33
K6-3 | 200m+ | Pro
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/K6-3s.jpg

34
L2 Block | 2x150m+ | App or U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/L2Blocks.jpg

35
D3-7 | 150m | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/D3-7s.jpg

36
R&F Project | 150m | 48fl | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/RFProject.jpg

37
Qiao Xin Linjiang Residential Project | 200m | App or U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/QiaoXinLinjiangResidentialProject1.jpg

Þróndeimr

December 8th, 2009, 07:55 PM

27
C3-3 | 200m+ | 55fl | Pro
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/C3-3s.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/Cmap.jpg

posted by fosk.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/CplotA1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/CplotA2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/CplotA3.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/CplotA5.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/CplotA4.jpg

Þróndeimr

December 8th, 2009, 08:04 PM

16
Jia Sui Center | 189m | U/C
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Architecture/JiaSuiCenter3.jpg

two more renderings
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/JiaSuiCenter4s.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/JiaSuiCenter2s.jpg

Latest construction update:
april 2009 by 羅生
http://www.skyscrapers.cn/forum/attachments/09041910339ea3c842d744f644.jpg

SilentStrike

December 9th, 2009, 09:34 PM

woah nice, Very very nice

thnx Þróndeimr!

luci203

December 11th, 2009, 12:56 PM

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/Cmap.jpg

posted by fosk.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/cityw/Skyscrapercity/CplotA1.jpg
Wow, that's a huge lowrise area to be demolished... when will they start? :D

Þróndeimr

December 11th, 2009, 01:13 PM

^^ i don't know actually, but i guess demolition of the low-rises is starting very soon if it has not already.

toddhubert

December 11th, 2009, 08:33 PM

Wow, that's a huge lowrise area to be demolished... when will they start? :D

i think the government is negotiating with the residents, but demolishing should be started after the Asian Games

Joel que

December 12th, 2009, 08:41 AM

watching CCN last night,focus on Guangzhou,among the news was "green" building -the pearl river tower being built in Guangzhou design by SOM.
according to spokewoman,the building is 5 times more expensive than traditional skyscraper,but it could get back all there investment within 5 years.
aside from pearl river tower,which is 50% finished,the entire area is gigantic construction site, several skyscraper under construction.

hkskyline

January 11th, 2010, 12:34 PM

Growth reaps a bitter harvest
10 January 2010
SCMP

Saleswoman Tang Xiaoqing's checklist includes taking potential buyers of flats on a Guangdong estate currently under construction to see a 1,200-hectare eco-park where they will be able to grow organic fruit and vegetables and catch fish if they become owners - or have management hire local farmers to do the job for them.

"It is a major selling point of our project. People are getting more and more health conscious, especially the well-off. They won't buy a property simply because we have a park for them to grow organic vegetables, but they will appreciate it."

Using an eco-park as a sweetener attracted the attention of Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences researcher Peng Peng to the project, 60 kilometres northwest of Guangzhou's city centre. "This sales strategy just highlights how people in Guangdong do not trust the food they buy in the market because of the serious pollution, which has led to contamination of the agricultural land after decades of unchecked urbanisation and industrialisation," Peng said.

The pollution of arable land had led some middle-class people in Guangzhou and Shenzhen to rent farmland in remote rural areas and hire local farmers to grow organic vegetables for them, Peng said. They would eat only vegetables grown on their own land.

The trend represents a turning point in how the province, and the mainland as a whole, thinks about how to feed itself. A generation ago, most of the population were either farmers or ate food grown nearby. But the drive to industrialisation has put a huge strain on the mainland's farmland. The central government, concerned about food security, has set a minimum national level for the amount of arable land. But local authorities often find it hard to resist the lure of the developer's dollar, just as the dwindling number of farmers would prefer giving up toiling in the fields to take a payout or work in a factory. Such competing forces exist throughout the chain, and the stakes are high.

"The problem is very serious," said Wang Xiaoying, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' rural development research institute. "The damage we are doing to agricultural land is permanent. Once concrete is poured on the soil, the land will not be able to revert back to farmland. The loss is forever."

The situation is especially severe in Guangdong. A Ministry of Lands and Resources report three years ago said the province was one of a few facing a severe shortage of grain and that problems with the supply of staple foods would last for a long time. A survey by the Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environment and Soil Sciences last year suggested heavy metals had contaminated about 40 per cent of the province's arable land, 10 per cent of that seriously.

The province's arable land produces only a third of the food that its population of more than 100 million people needs, according to the official Guangzhou Daily. Imports from other provinces account for 80 per cent of the shortfall, and the rest comes from overseas. Guangdong will need an extra five million acres to provide enough food for itself, according to one of Guangzhou's development research institutes.

The province used to play a major role in supplying vegetables and other staples to the nation, thanks to its abundant fertile land. The situation changed in the 1970s, when unprecedented industrialisation, urbanisation and population growth began. Huge swathes of farmland have been lost to factories, housing, highways and railway tracks. This has left the province with about 313 square metres of arable land per capita - a third the national average.

The city's changing landscape over the past 30 years illustrates the degree of urbanisation. Vegetable fields at Qingcai Gang (green vegetable knoll) have long been replaced by rows of low-rise housing. Standing on the former rice paddies of Tianhe are office towers, houses, banks and other businesses. Vegetables used to be grown on the site of the city's central business district, Zhujiang New City. Pantang in the city's west was home to fish ponds.

"Farmland used to be everywhere," said Chen Bingwu, a Guangzhou taxi driver. "Now I have no idea where we could possibly find farmland in Guangzhou. It has been replaced by factories and skyscrapers. With less and less farmland, how are we going to feed ourselves?"

Now Chen has to travel to Zhongluotan, 50 kilometres north of Qingcai Gang, before he finds any farmland. It is national policy that keeps agriculture alive in Zhongluotan; 800 hectares of arable land there is graded as prime land, which means it cannot be used for anything else.

Bu the pressure to build continues to intensify. Late last month, Guangzhou saw the highest price yet for a piece of land in the city. Guangzhou R&F teamed up with Agile Property Holdings and Country Garden to buy sites for Guangzhou Asian Games City for 25.5 billion yuan (HK$28.9 billion). The Panyu site is 4.38 million square metres, about 11 times the size of Cyberport in Pok Fu Lam, in Hong Kong. It is part of farmland the government took over in recent years to build venues for the Asian Games, to be held in November.

Beijing has vowed to keep at least 1.2 million square kilometres of arable land available for agriculture - the minimum needed to grow enough to feed the country. Of that, 1.04 million sq km should be prime land, and 1.05 million sq km should be growing grain by 2020. Grain yield should reach 525 tonnes per sq km. Efforts to increase grain output should include upgrading low-yield farmland, promoting technology, advancing agricultural mechanisation and strengthening the prevention of diseases and insect pests. Beijing also wants to improve agriculture infrastructure and water facilities.

A plan to take over farmland in Zhongluotan, near Guangzhou, was aborted some years ago, said 60-year-old vegetable farmer Zeng Hong, who owns a 4.5-hectare lot in the village. "It was some years ago. I was once told there are people interested in renting land from us to build something, but the plan was banned because the land here is not allowed to be used for development."

He is not against the idea of converting his farmland over to factory use. "Farming is a difficult job. I get up at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning throughout the year. The vegetables are not worth that much money. If I could choose, I'd prefer to work in a factory where I can earn more money. As long as the price is reasonable, I have no problem letting them take my land."

For Zeng, reasonable means 100,000 yuan in a one-off compensation plus annual rent for using his land.

His neighbour Zeng Rong, who owns 1.2 hectares on which he grows vegetables, has a similar attitude. "I earn more working in factories in Guangzhou. But I'm too old now; I can't work in the factories any more. It is why I've come back. Farming is not bad, I have more freedom farming on my own land, but I can't get much money by growing vegetables."

For both Zengs, food security is an alien term they have not heard before and cannot comprehend. For them, farming is just about how much they will earn from it.

For Wang, the academy professor, the attitude of the two Zengs in indicative of why agricultural land is continually losing out to industrialisation. "It is difficult to stop local governments from converting arable land to urban land use. Their concern is economic development, not the nation's food security. Building factories and residential development are too lucrative to resist compared to the minimal revenue from agriculture. Food security is the central government's business."

Even though Guangdong has lost nearly all of its arable land, the central government has set targets for further urbanisation.

State Council guidelines for the development of the Pearl River Delta to the year 2020 requires the per capita gross domestic product of Guangdong to reach 80,000 yuan by 2012 and 135,000 yuan by 2020. The service industry should account for 53 per cent of the delta's economy by 2012 and 60 per cent by 2020. Guangdong's per capita GDP was 37,588 yuan in 2008, while contributions from the service sector amounted to less than 45 per cent of the economy. The blueprint also demands that hi-tech industry play a bigger role. To satisfy the demand for more development without violating the state's order to conserve agricultural land, Guangdong decided in 2000 to turn to less developed parts of the province - the east and the north. It pays farmers in the poor areas to open up more arable land in the mountainous areas, so developed areas can continue to expand.

Wang believes that although the government can turn to the poorer areas for extra arable land, yields are low. "The newly explored arable land is infertile land; farmers have to rely heavily on fertiliser for agricultural output. If soil is fertile and suitable for farming, the land has long been in agricultural use already."

The solutions are not easy. Wang suggests the best way to protect arable land is to increase the cost of land resumption by demanding local governments increase compensation to farmers. But there also needs to be a change in thinking.

The government should promote respect for agriculture but "changing thinking is very difficult", Wang said. "Since the country embarked on economic reform 30 years ago, the people deeply believe that without business, the economy will not be active, without industries, the people will not get rich, and without agriculture, the country will be unstable. Everyone wants to get rich, so no one wants to be a farmer and no one respects agriculture.

But not everyone shares his fears. "I'm not particularly worried about food security," Peng said. "We're living in a globalised time with clear division of labour. We earn money by producing manufactured goods; we can use the money we earn to buy food from other countries. Actually, Chinese companies are renting land in Serbia, Africa and South America to grow food for our consumption. I don't see any reason why we have to slow our urbanisation and industrialisation."

hkskyline

January 24th, 2010, 06:44 AM

Swire Properties Sees All Guangzhou Mall Leased Before Opening
21 January 2010

GUANGZHOU (Dow Jones)--Swire Properties Ltd., the property flagship of blue-chip Swire Pacific Ltd. (0019.HK) expects all the retail space at its Taikoo Hui commercial complex in Guangzhou to be pre-leased before the shopping mall opens later this year, an executive said Thursday.

More than 70% of Taikoo Hui's retail space has already been pre-leased, Gordon Ongley, chief executive of mainland China for Swire Properties, said at the development's topping out ceremony.

The 121,000-square-meter retail portion of the complex is scheduled to open before the 16th Asian Games in November.

The firm is in talks with potential tenants to lease 5%-10% of 90,000 square meters of office space, the first phase of the project, said Peter Kok, Taikoo Hui's general manager. The whole Taikoo Hui project will have office space of 164,000 square meters.

Investment in Taikoo Hui, which has a total gross floor area of 406,000 square meters, amounts to CNY5 billion. Swire Properties holds 97% of the complex and Guangzhou Daily News Group the remainder.

It is one of Swire Properties' four mainland projects. The company launched a Beijing commercial complex, The Village at Sanlitun, in 2008. It is also developing two commercial complexes in Beijing and Shanghai.

Ongley declined to comment on the progress of Swire Properties' proposed listing.

Swire Pacific has confirmed it appointed HSBC Holdings PLC, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and Morgan Stanley as underwriters for the proposed spinoff.

People familiar with the situation have said the listing, which could raise around US$3 billion, is scheduled for May or June.

hkskyline

February 3rd, 2010, 07:10 PM

Guangzhou to Build More High-tech Industrial Bases

GUANGZHOU, February 1, SinoCast -- The Guangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission lately disclosed a target proposed by the National Development and Reform Commission to build 100 national high-tech industrial bases within ten years, each with production value topping CNY 100 billion.

The bases will cover industries such as information, biology, aviation and aerospace, new material, and marine. Companies settling down in these bases will be encouraged to issue bonds and float shares on the capital market of Mainland China.

Under the guidance of the policy, Guangzhou will focus on the construction of four national high-tech industrial bases covering the fields of biology, software, information and new material, revealed an official of the Guangdong Science and Technology Department.

By far, the city has built a national software industrial base, a biology industrial base, an electronic information industrial base, an online game and animation industrial base, and an information service industrial demonstration park.

Currently, Guangzhou has 1,165 high-tech companies, including 23 that each has annual revenues of more than CNY 1 billion, and 208 with annual revenues of over CNY 100 million. The figure rose 27.78% and 45.45% from a year earlier respectively.

The city has worked out a plan to construct the Guangzhou Science City, the Tianhe Software Park, and the Huanghuagang Information Park. Its goal is to obtain information revenues surpassing CNY 330 billion, and information added value of more than CNY 120 billion in 2010.

Guangzhou's target for the new material industry is to boost the industrial production value by over 20% a year to CNY 90 billion in 2010, accounting for 7.4% of the city's total production value.

By then, Guangzhou's new material added value will hit CNY 20 billion, taking up 2.3% of the city's GDP. There will be more than 140 new material makers that each has annual sales revenues topping CNY 100 million, 23 with annual sales revenues of more than CNY 1 billion, and three with annual sales revenues of over CNY 10 billion.

Guangzhou's new material industry will center on the Guangzhou Development District, and include port-front industrial belt situated in districts of Huangpu, Panyu, and Nansha, and airport industrial belt located in districts of Baiyun and Huadu.

From 2010, Guangdong will put CNY 500 million in high-end projects within the territory of the Guangzhou Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, making breakthroughs in the fields of electronic information, advanced manufacturing, biology and medicine, new material, renewable energy, and environmental protection, disclosed an official of the Guangdong Science and Technology Department.

hkskyline

February 3rd, 2010, 07:38 PM

Guangzhou Airport Bonded Logistics Center Starts Operation
29 January 2010

GUANGZHOU, January 29, SinoCast -- The Guangzhou airport bonded logistics center just started operation in the southern Chinese transport hub of Guangzhou on January 28, becoming the first airport-based bonded logistics center in Guangdong Province.

It will make full use of its advantage in location, transport conditions, and industries to offer fairly effective and quality service, and strive to attract high-end logistics companies both at home and abroad. With its help, Guangzhou, of the province, is expected to grow into a logistics center in Asia.

Covering a total area of 300,000 square meters, the airport bonded logistics center is designed to have a starage area of 110,000 square meters. It gained approval from the General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in December 2008.

Last November, the center passed the state acceptance. It has four parts, including an international distribution zone, an international procurement zone, an international transshipment zone, and an international express zone.

In addition, the center will mainly be engaged in international transshipment, distribution processing, bonded storage, export tax rebate, and other services.

With the rapid economic growth in China, the government has paid much attention to the construction of bonded ports. In December 2009, the Nansha Bonded Port came into operation in Guangzhou.

The bonded parrot is featured with nine major functions, which are storage and logistics, international transfer, international trade, produce showcase, testing and maintenance, processing and manufacturing, procurement and distribution, and port operation.

It is of grewat significance for companies in the central and western areas of the Pearl River Delta region to lower logistics costs and sharpen their core competitive edge. And it serves as a new platform for export-oriented companies in the area.

The first batch of companies settling down in the bonded area include logistics service providers, trade firms, and processing companies. They will offer services of VMI warehouse supply chain logistics management, international procurement and distribution, and processing trade.

The bonded area has formed a highly efficient transportation system. The waterway is 15.5 meters deep. It is available for 100,000-ton container carriers, previous reports said.

In June 2009, the Chongqing Bonded Port Zone kicked off construction, and as the first inland bonded port zone across China, it will be completed in three phase.

The first phase, with an approximate investment of CNY 3 billion, will set up iron networks, measuring 14.5 kilometers in length, around an area of 2.67 square kilometers.

The second and third phases are scheduled to be completed by 2012 and 2015, respectively, and at that time, the bonded port zone will greatly speed up the economic growth in Chongqing and surrounding regions.

hkskyline

February 4th, 2010, 09:15 AM

Construction of Asian Games venues 'clean'
29 January 2010
Copyright 2010 China Daily Information Company. All Rights Reserved.

No foul play has been uncovered in the construction of the sports facilities for the upcoming Asian Games, organizers said on Jan 28 in Guangzhou.

Local people's congress deputies had requested the transparent publication of how funds were used in the venues' construction for the 2010 Asian Games. In response, the Guangzhou Games organizing committee said in a press announcement that the bids, design and construction of the sport venues have been in strict compliance with relevant regulations and laws.

"We attach a great importance to a scientific and economic approach to the venues development since construction of the venues started amid the global financial crisis," the notice said.

Nearly 8 billion yuan ($1.17 billion) has been invested in building new venues and renovating old facilities for the Games, which are scheduled to begin on Nov 12, organizers said.

In an early plan approved by the central government in 2006, as many as 96 venues were planned for the Games.

But organizers finally decided to develop only 72 venues for the Games due to the impact of the global financial crisis, and to help reduce investment.

However, some local people's congress deputies said organizers and the government should let the public know how much is needed to host the Games.

"We also need to know how such a large amount of investment money is used," said Deng Chengming, a deputy to the Guangdong provincial people's congress.

So far, neither organizers nor the local government has publicized any reports regarding the funds used for the upcoming Asian Games. "Publication of a report showing how the funds were used is of great importance in avoiding foul play in the construction of sport facilities for the Games," Deng said.

Zhang Weicheng, director of the supervision and auditing department of the organizing committee, said no cases of misconduct and fund embezzling has been detected since the construction of the venues began.

"We have introduced a series of supervisory measures to prevent any foul play," Zhang said.

Organizers have set up a special committee consisting of supervisory and auditing officials and experts to monitor construction of venues, Zhang said.

"The committee has helped develop a 'firewall' against any foul play in the Games' projects since its introduction two years ago," Zhang said.

Also on Jan 28, Guangzhou Party secretary Zhu Xiaodan urged the building of a "clean Asian Games".

"Any official or company manager found to be involved in foul play during preparation for the Games will be severely punished," Zhu said.

hkskyline

February 25th, 2010, 07:45 AM

Villagers protest construction of incinerator in southern China
25 January 2010

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) - About 100 villagers on Monday protested the construction of a garbage incinerator in southern China, alleging several residents have already become sick from pollution from another trash-burning facility in the area.

Waste disposal is becoming a contentious issue as crowded China tries to find new places to dump garbage. Citizens have become more environmentally conscious, more worried about their health and property -- and more willing to protest.

Monday's protesters came from the village of Likeng, where people have long complained that an incinerator in the area was causing cancer and other illnesses. They were angry that the government had begun building another incinerator in the village, in the northern part of the booming city of Guangzhou.

Carrying small white protest signs, the 100 or so demonstrators tried to march close to the Guangdong provincial government's headquarters. But scores of police boxed them in and then corralled them off with crime scene tape on the sidewalk across from the government building.

"The government refuses to listen to the people. We don't want another incinerator because we know the one we have now is killing people," said a protester who would only give her surname, Chen. "At night, we don't dare open our windows because the air is so bad."

The government has repeatedly said the incinerator was safe. An official who observed Monday's protest told the AP the villagers' complaints were being considered.

"The city will handle this matter in a proper way. We just hope everyone will be calm and reasonable," said the official, who would only give his surname, Hu, and declined to say which department he worked for.

On Sunday, about 400 people protested the construction of another incinerator in the Gaoming district of Foshan, a city next to Guangzhou, the state-run Southern Daily newspaper reported Monday.

Demonstrators have also been active in Guangzhou's southern Panyu district, where officials recently decided to delay an incinerator project so that they could do more environmental tests and public consultation.

hkskyline

March 1st, 2010, 04:49 PM

Upheaval of urban renewal
26 February 2010
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

Amid sky rocketing housing prices and limited supplies, many would consider Li lucky to live in a new apartment.

Having frequently been to the neighborhood where she grew up to catch up with old friends and relatives, Li said: "I miss the people here all the time."

She is one of the many residents in Liwan district's Enning Road who were forced to relocate after a major renewal project began in the area in 2008.

Following the renovation of Enning Road, authorities in Guangzhou announced another ambitious 100 billion yuan ($14 billion) facelift in January, which means demolishing more than 10 percent of the old town's built-up areas and relocating up to 600,000 people.

"Old buildings are torn down. For those of us affected by the renewal, the renovation means an end to long-term friendships with neighbors. We cannot visit old friends as often as before," 65-year-old Li said.

Under the plan, a total of 10.5 million square meters of old buildings will be demolished, according to sources with the Guangzhou urban planning authority.

Public opinion on the project has been solicited by the authority, which placed on its website a preliminary urban renewal framework for the development from this year to 2020.

Initial results from the consultation, which will last until the end of this month, indicate that a majority of the people who responded are in support of the renewal plan, sources with the authority said.

"While the renovation plan is good, the authorities should place more importance on protecting traditional, Guangzhou-style buildings and the surrounding cultural heritage in the area," said a resident surnamed Huang.

The authority stressed that public participation will be encouraged in drawing up a comprehensive renewal plan, as protecting Guangzhou's monuments and heritage was a long-term and challenging goal.

It is the largest old town renovation plan by the local government, which aims to free up land and beautify the urban landscape, since the government announced a massive urban redevelopment project in downtown Haizhu district two years ago.

Under the plan, old buildings in Haizhu were scheduled for repair on the south bank of the Pearl River, which required the relocation of some 20,000 people.

Meanwhile, the new renewal plan will cover many historic heritage sites and monuments and will revitalize 54 sq km of old towns stretching across Yuexiu, Liwan and Haizhu districts.

Cultural heritage projects and the protection of monuments are paid for by the district and municipal government.

Accordingly, the new plan will be financed by the municipal government, though authorities are considering bringing outside investment in on the project.

hkskyline

March 3rd, 2010, 10:08 AM

Five-star headache in store after Games
3 March 2010
SCMP

Luxury hotels racing to open in time for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou could see a fall in occupancy and room rates once the Games are over, analysts warn.

At least 12 five-star hotels are under construction in main districts, such as Tianhe, Xuexiu, Haizhu, of the Pearl River port city.

Three leading international chains are among those with new hotels - W Hotel Guangzhou, Marriott Grandview Plaza and Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel - targeting an opening ahead of the Asian Games, which will be staged from November 12 to November 27.

The three hotels will offer 1,200 new rooms, all in the city's central Tianhe district, and once all 12 hotels are completed, the number of hotel rooms in the city will be increased by 4,675, according to property firm Colliers International.

Faced with this abundant new supply - equivalent to a 42.4 per cent increase in the existing stock of 8,117 rooms - hotel owners face higher risks in terms of operating performance, said Bryan Chan, director of Colliers International's research and project advisory division.

Woody Lam, managing director of Savills' southern China office, agreed.

"It is unavoidable that we will see a decline in room rates following the Asia Games by the end of this year as demand drops," Lam said.

Guangzhou will be the second Chinese city to host the Games, after Beijing in 1990. A total of 42 sports are scheduled to be contested, making it the largest Asian Games ever.

Tianhe, which is Guangzhou's traditional central business district, will retain its key attractions at least until the city's new CBD in Zhujiang New Town becomes mature, Chan said. Hotels in the area will continue to be supported, although demand is likely to decline after the Games.

Xie Meng, vice-chairman of Guangzhou Grandview Enterprise, which owns Marriott, said he was confident of ongoing demand for hotel rooms in the city.

Grandview Plaza plans a "soft" opening on National Day, on October 1. It is located in front of the Games stadium and will attract enough guests to fill the rooms, Xie said.

Helping boost demand will be the city's strong economic performance and increased business activities. Guangzhou's GDP rose 11.5 per cent to 911.27 billion yuan last year.

But new hotels opening in less attractive areas or old hotels built in the 1980s, such as The Garden Hotel, could struggle to fill their rooms, property consultants said.

The most popular hotel in Guangzhou is the Westin, which charges about 1,000 yuan per night for a room, well below the more than 2,000 yuan per night charged at top hotels in Shanghai.

Lam said that at such rates hotels would have little difficulty attracting guests during the Games, but warned that demand would drop after the event, and owners of hotels would then have to cut rates.

Another challenge that owners of hotels in Guangzhou would have to deal with, Lam said, was the proximity of Hong Kong.

Given the short commuting distance between the two cities, some international guests and Hong Kong residents could prefer a daily visit to Guangzhou, rather than checking into a hotel for an overnight stay, he said.

Christopherhua

March 5th, 2010, 04:41 PM

I readly like Guangdong museum, it's very higtect, strong, have idiosyncrasy. good job!

sergey220

March 20th, 2010, 11:53 AM

at what stage of construction - Asia Pacific Century Plaza?

hkskyline

May 23rd, 2010, 05:01 PM

Storm leaves Guangzhou in deep water
15 May 2010
SCMP

Want to see what a city of water looks like? You no longer need to travel to Venice or Suzhou to find out. Guangzhou, deluged by the heaviest rainfall in a decade on May 7, welcomes you.

Guangzhou became known as China's Venice, the Italian city famed for its canals and islands for centuries, in just a few hours.

An average of 128 millimetres of rain hit urban areas that morning, turning the host city for November's Asian Games into a very large swimming pool.

Seven people were killed by lightning or accidents caused by the rainfall, 87 towns and communities and nearly 3,580 hectares of farmland were flooded, and at least 138 flights and 14 trains were cancelled.

Traffic jams in the city centre, many parts of which were under water, caused tens of thousands of people to be late for work. One office worker was trapped in a bus for two hours and finally completed his journey to work in three hours - arriving an hour before lunch.

But the vehicles caught in traffic jams were luckier than some. More than 1,400 cars became submarines because their owners didn't have time to save them from underground garages that flooded. Local media reported that more than 18,000 vehicles suffered some degree of damage and that insurance payouts could total as much as 170 million yuan (HK$193 million).

On some university campuses, including the main campuses of Jinan University and Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in the city centre, students were woken by water pouring into ground-floor dormitory rooms. Many complained that personal property was damaged.

For the whole morning, even several hours after the rain stopped, they had to wade through water to get to their classrooms.

The end of the downpour did not end Guangzhou's ombrophobia. When the local observatory warned of the likelihood of more heavy rain on May 9 and 10, residents started to panic that the city, no stranger to summer rainstorms, was about to become Venice once again. In some residential communities, car owners rushed to move their cars from underground garages.

The city's water affairs bureau admitted that the public and media were right in blaming the flooding on the hundreds of construction sites dotted around the city, which had caused severe obstruction to its drainage system.

Officials said there were more than 2,000 construction projects in the city, including the laying of sewer pipes, paving of main streets, and, ironically, the construction of channels to improve the drainage system.

Some construction workers were found to have dumped rubble into the sewers, some had covered drain outlets with construction material and others had damaged the drainage system during their work.

City leaders and senior officials pledged they would, in future, punish construction firms that failed to take care of the drainage system.

Meanwhile, members of the public said the authorities' poor management of construction projects had contributed to the mess. It is generally believed that the rush to beautify the city ahead of the Asian Games is behind the launching of so many projects at the same time. People asked why the government, which cared so much about the height of skyscrapers and the colour and decoration of buildings along main streets, could not also pay attention to the sewers.

It is unfair to say that Guangzhou has ignored the problem. But even though it spent about 900 million yuan last year on improving its drainage system, the massive facelift ahead of the Asian Games and inefficient management have undone all that good work.

The challenge facing city officials in the next few months is how to convince residents that the same thing will not happen when the next storm comes.

People need solid proof that their shoes, clothes and even fridges will not float away in the middle of the night, their underground garages will not be flooded and that an improved sewer system will be able to deal with rain intensities seen only once every 50 years, let alone once every 10.

The next test might come very soon. From May to as late as November, coastal cities like Guangzhou can expect typhoons, bringing strong winds and more heavy rain.

hkskyline

May 29th, 2010, 06:49 AM

A red rooftop revolution sweeps over southern Chinese city, angering residents
21 May 2010

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) - Their drab concrete apartment buildings are starting to look more like Spanish villas with red-tiled roofs, and that's angering many who live in them.

For the past year, workers have been repainting hundreds of buildings in Guangzhou and topping them with pitched roofs made of PVC sheets molded to look like tiles. It's part of a government-led campaign to spiff up this gritty metropolis for the Asian Games, a major sports competition in November.

The faux roofs have enraged many middle-class residents, but there is little they can do. Urban Chinese have enjoyed an explosion of personal freedom in the past three decades. They can pick their own jobs, start their own businesses and buy their own apartments.

But the government can still show up one day and announce that their homes will be getting a red roof -- whether they like it or not. Though many believe they deserve a greater say in civic affairs, citizens remain powerless when officials launch a massive campaign with little or no public consultation.

"A few of my neighbors occupied their roofs and refused to leave, but they had to eventually," said Zheng, an office worker. Like other residents, she wouldn't give her full name, fearing trouble with officials. "We don't have a choice. There's no use challenging the government."

Neighborhoods have become construction zones, with buildings surrounded by rusty steel and bamboo scaffolding covered with tattered green mesh. Crews put up metal frames on the flattop buildings and cover them with the PVC sheets.

Many in this southern Chinese city, also known as Canton, said the roofs symbolize a negative aspect of Chinese culture: an overemphasis on superficial appearance and showing off for guests, especially those from abroad.

Beijing carried out a similar facelift for the Olympic Games in 2008, and Shanghai, for the World Expo that opened this month.

"It's all just for show," said Chen, a young mother, who would only give her surname. "They're just putting new clothes and a hat on my building. In a year, it'll look bad again."

Most of the red-roofed buildings are in areas where foreigners are most likely to go during the Asian Games, which is expected to attract 25,000 athletes, coaches and journalists from 45 countries. They line the highway from the airport and the train tracks from nearby Hong Kong, and they surround some of the fancier tourist hotels.

The Potemkin village quality of the roofs mars the cityscape, said Valery Garrett, a Hong Kong-based author who has been visiting Guangzhou for decades and wrote the book, "Heaven is High, the Emperor Far Away, Merchants and Mandarins in Old Guangzhou."

Garrett is amused by the fake dormer windows in many of the roofs. "The idea of having dormer windows when there's nothing inside of them is ludicrous," she said.

The city government says the roof campaign -- called "changing the flat to sloped" -- is a practical move to prevent roofs from leaking during the rainy season and to shield buildings from the sun in the summer.

"The roofs can change the architectural scenery and will help us meet our goal of beautifying the city and improving the living environment," a government statement said.

Figures for how many buildings would get the roofs were not available yet, the statement said, but early estimates put the number at about 1,000. The government wouldn't release the overall cost but said each square meter (10.8 square feet) of roofing costs between 400 yuan ($58) and 500 yuan ($73).

The fuzzy numbers fuel perceptions that officials use such projects to enrich themselves by pocketing kickbacks and embezzling funds.

Juan Du, an architecture professor at the University of Hong Kong, said the red roof campaign reminds her of the City Beautiful Movement in the United States in the 1890s and early 1900s.

Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and other cities borrowed classical and European styles to spruce up buildings in the belief that it would promote social harmony and civic virtue.

"The notion was that by improving the image of the city, you're improving life in the city," she said.

But, she added, critics say the approach creates an artificial image that doesn't truly reflect the city.

Migrant worker He Zili, who has been building the roofs, couldn't understand why some residents were so angry. "The government is doing all this for free," he said. "Their homes will look nicer and they don't have to pay. It's a good deal."

But none of the residents interviewed by The Associated Press saw it that way.

"True, the government is paying for the roofs, but it's our money. It's the taxpayers' money," said Zheng, the office worker. "We don't want to waste that money."

As she spoke, a small group of people gathered around, nodding in agreement and punctuating her sentences by saying, "That's right!"

All around them, the work in their central Guangzhou neighborhood went on. The shrill whine of metal-cutting saws echoed through the streets, powered by droning generators giving off the acrid stench of diesel fuel.

Celebriton

May 29th, 2010, 08:45 PM

^^A great news. If HK government also have the same mind, HK will be better place than today. If we compare it with Tokyo, athough HK is a developed city, but in some places, it look so dirty, cheap and ugly for the taste of high GDP per capita people. HK need a major makeover and renovation. Of course HK people have choice to renovate their building based on their own taste, but as long as it look very beautiful, artistic and hi-quality.

I never been to HK or Tokyo, just seeing some photos in this forum, travel program in TV and movie about this cities.

Btw, Does someone has new look of Guangzhou skyline after the red rooftop revolution?

hkskyline

June 11th, 2010, 03:19 PM

hkskyline

August 1st, 2010, 03:58 PM

Urban villages face the wrecker's ball
26 July 2010
SCMP

Urban villages: the term, as oxymoronic as it is, applies to places such as Yangji that the Guangzhou government will tear down under an aggressive 10-year plan to eliminate what it calls 138 "tumours".

They started decades ago as agricultural communities on the outskirts but as Guangzhou began to prosper in the 1980s and 90s, they were dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers. Now these villages make up about 22 per cent of the city's area. They are poorly designed, poorly built, have bad infrastructure and they attract migrants and lower-class residents, which makes them hotbeds of crime.

It is little wonder that the city government wants to get rid of these slums. And Guangzhou, which used to expand at will, has run out of land, so it has shifted focus to these villages, with the aim of converting them into properties that make more efficient use of space. Nine of the 138, including Yangji, are under a deadline to be demolished by the time the Asian Games begin on November 12.

So there is a sense of anxiety for city leaders who want to polish their image as both a good host for the Games and an international metropolis in general.

The problem they face is that the nearly 1 million residents - one can't really call them villagers any more - will not only lose their homes and the rental incomes they collect from their tenants, but also their sense of history and tradition that has tied them to these curious communities.

Walking in Yangji, which has a permanent population of about 4,000 and more than 10,000 so-called floaters, provides no evidence of farmland but plenty of multi-storey buildings. The shadows they cast make the narrow alleys dark even in daytime, which makes manoeuvring a vehicle even more difficult. But it also lacks an urban quality as hygiene standards fall below that of the rest of Guangzhou. Rubbish is everywhere, greenery is a rare sight and the air is often damp and smelly.

The buildings are old and poorly maintained. They are built so close to one another from the second floor up that locals call this style of architecture "shaking-hands buildings". The idea behind the density of their construction is to maximise landowners' rental income.

The cheap rent and convenient location attract migrants, who flock to Guangzhou seeking better lives and cannot afford better housing in the heart of the metropolis. Today they work as low-level employees or as food and gadget vendors who earn about 2,000 yuan (HK$2,290) a month and pay an average rent of about 700 yuan.

But with the lower-class tenants and residents comes crime. The Southern Metropolis Weekly reported an unofficial figure, unconfirmed by any Guangzhou authority, that 80 per cent of the city's crime cases were committed by non-local residents and 90 per cent of those criminal suspects live in urban villages.

Local authorities, therefore, have labelled the villages as dens of iniquity. They complain that crime, especially prostitution, thrives on the low cost of living there. But they are optimistic that once the redevelopment is completed, rents will rise, which could be one way to drive away low-end industries and people who won't be able to afford the new flats.

"It will help scour the sinks of iniquity," said a Guangzhou official with the management office in charge of the villages' redevelopment.

However, the Guangzhou government has been trying to get rid of this nightmare for at least nine years, and the trillions of yuan that will be needed for demolition and renovation are way out of reach of the city's finances.

Zhao Wenzhuo , a Guangzhou-based real estate analyst, said the provincial government had played an important role in realising the huge plan, which has been discussed for years.

He said it was in mid-2007, about a year after Zhu Xiaodan became the Communist Party secretary of Guangzhou, that the city raised the idea of rebuilding some underdeveloped downtown areas for the first time in a decade.

"But it wasn't until last year, when the central government agreed to provincial party boss Wang Yang's suggestion to highlight Guangzhou's importance within the Pearl River Delta, that the city was given the privilege of launching such a big rebuilding project," Zhao said.

Support from high-level authorities is just the first step in the 10-year plan. Lan Yuyun , a Guangzhou-based scholar on urban redevelopment, said the next big challenge faced by the government would be balancing the interests of multiple players while compensating villagers and allowing property developers to earn their fair share without stirring up social unrest.

The Guangzhou government announced last year that developers could move ahead with refurbishment only when more than two-thirds of villagers agreed on the compensation plan being offered, in a bid to prevent potential conflicts.

Renovation has just been completed for Liede village, the first among the nine that have to meet the Asian Games deadline. Its former residents will move into their new 30-storey apartment buildings at the end of this month. New Liede looks the same as most modern estates in Hong Kong.

Lan said renovating the urban villages would boost the appearance of the city and drive up property values. "But many people at the low-income level will suffer as they relocate in the next couple of years," she said.

Uncle Yao, as he calls himself, is one of those who will have to make way. Yao, 73, was born in Yangji and left it once as a young lad to flee to rural Guangdong to escape the Japanese invasion, which began in 1938 and approached Guangzhou a couple of years later. This second move frightens him as it could well be the last farewell to his homeland.

"If I am lucky, I'll be able to come back in three years and live in Yangji's new flats; if not, I'll probably end up dying in a strange land," he said.

Yao and his family - eight altogether - live in a three-storey building. They rent out half of the first floor to a small food shop for 1,400 yuan a month. It is the loss of that rental income that has kept Yao and other villagers from signing a relocation agreement with the village committee and developers.

Even though the government and developers promised to offer them new homes as big as their old ones once the new buildings are finished, many villagers like Yao have stalled, overcome by a sense of nostalgia.

"We know that ultimately we have to sign the contracts and move out because the plan is launched. But frankly speaking, most of us don't want to leave," Yao said.

Hu Ping , who has run a mini-supermarket in Yangji for nearly 10 years, said she and her husband had to look for a new location for their business, a new primary school for their son and new accommodation. And rents in the city are soaring as tens of thousands of villagers and tenants in the nine villages to be knocked down before November anxiously look for new shelters.

"I came from a rural area in Chaozhou and I am already 40," Hu said, her face bearing the wrinkles of worry.

"If we can't find a new shop to continue our business, what can I do next ... be a cleaning woman?"

Atmosphere

August 1st, 2010, 09:14 PM

CoCoMilk

August 1st, 2010, 10:25 PM

^^
These Buildings
1) NOT traditional Chinese buildings
2) Crime hub
3) Poor hygiene, maintenance, and below safety standard
4) No locals likes them

I feel kinda offended when foreigners want to save these unsafe old buildings just so they can "tour" them at the expense of the locals. But of course, having lived there for long times and accustomed to the environments there, I think it would be a hard task for the government to adjust these residents into new apartments and jobs. Basically, if you can give the locals, a new source of income..most if not all would rather move out of there for a better living environment. I mean, would anyone here want to live in those? So with that being said, replacing these buildings with considerations for the future livelihood of the residents, in my opinion is the best way forward.

Atmosphere

August 2nd, 2010, 01:47 AM

Okay thanks for the explanation. I'm just worried that all those developments will be skyscrapers-in-parks concepts. When I was in shanghai, the new part of pudong looks fantastic but it is absolutely not walk-friendly (of course there a big sidewalks, but that is not what I mean) while for example Nanjing Road is very nice to walk. Those old parts I visited in China were almost always more friendly for pedestrians than the new parts.

hkskyline

August 2nd, 2010, 08:03 AM

^^ What do you think about this HKskyline? Is it a good or a bad thing. I know there is more crime in those ''villages', but when walking trough them, its sometimes actually quite nice and sometimes even better than walking between high glass skyscrapers. I think some of them should be preserved.

Like the hutongs in Beijing, many of these traditional areas are not fit for habitation in today's modern society. It is not economical or worthwhile to preserve most of them, such as gutting out the interiors and maintaining the facades. However, I am concerned at what is replacing these - tall, soul-less towers that don't encourage street-level interaction.

I think the replacement needs to be a manageable density and well-planned. We can keep a few of the historic buildings as community landmarks, but I don't think mass-preserving these will make sense.

Atmosphere

August 2nd, 2010, 01:30 PM

Like the hutongs in Beijing, many of these traditional areas are not fit for habitation in today's modern society. It is not economical or worthwhile to preserve most of them, such as gutting out the interiors and maintaining the facades. However, I am concerned at what is replacing these - tall, soul-less towers that don't encourage street-level interaction.

I think the replacement needs to be a manageable density and well-planned. We can keep a few of the historic buildings as community landmarks, but I don't think mass-preserving these will make sense.

Thanks for your vision! Your right in that maybe preserving is not necessary. I'm worried because demolishing those old parts means often that it is indeed going to be replaced by what you say, soulless towers that don't encourage street-level interaction. And that last bit about street-level interaction is very important for city's.

hkskyline

August 10th, 2010, 11:57 AM

Arts playground emerges in China
An intriguing complex rises among the factories of a booming Guangzhou
4 August 2010
International Herald Tribune

Hong Kong has always looked down on Guangzhou as its poor mainland cousin. But while the affluent former British colony has stalled for years over plans for a massive cultural district, Guangzhou has gone ahead and built one.

This southern Chinese city surrounded by factory towns opened its new Guangdong Museum and Guangzhou Opera this spring. On tap are a public library and a children’s art center.

The government has not put a price tag on the entire project, though media reports have estimated that the four venues will cost 3.4 billion renminbi, about $500 million. Guangzhou hopes to unveil the complex by November, when it plays host to the Asian Games.

That is the plan. As is usually the case in China, the hardware was built first and the software is still on its way.

Months after the museum’s opening in May, workers are drilling and hammering amid piles of dirt and rubble to prepare the rest of the complex. The opera house and the museum are open for business — two beautiful architectural models rising from a junkyard. But the transport hub, taxi stands and pedestrian walkways have not been completed, causing crowd and traffic problems, particularly when the opera lets out in bad weather.

Rocco Yim, the Hong Kong architect who designed the museum, reported to cost 900 million renminbi, stood at its entrance and pointed past the construction site to the spaceship-like opera house designed by the London-based architect Zaha Hadid for an estimated 1.4 billion renminbi. ‘‘The two will be connected by a wide pedestrian avenue,’’ Mr. Yim said, ‘‘so people can walk right from the opera to the museum through open green space. Here will be a large slope where people can lie down in the grass. Roadside pollution will be cut down by diverting vehicular traffic underground.’’

The museum is an enormous cube made of gray and red puzzle pieces that light up with a scarlet glow at night. ‘‘I wanted to create the feeling of a lacquered Chinese jewelry box,’’ Mr. Yim said, ‘‘an exquisite container holding valuables inside.’’

Natural light floods the museum through its jigsaw-shaped holes and skylights. A walkway and a cube-shaped gallery float above the lobby. Spaces are divided not by walls but by translucent screens, adding to the airiness.

There is no stand-out, priceless treasure in the Guangdong Museum’s collection — certainly nothing comparable with the Palace Museum in Taipei, say. But there is much southern Chinese folk art, like Chiuchow wood carvings, calligraphy and ink paintings, and the natural history section is definitely child-friendly. Mr. Yim said his favorite room is the vast atrium where life-sized models of whales and dolphins are suspended from the ceiling, flooded in blue light. From there you can look straight down to the dinosaur fossils displayed on the floor below.

The opera house — all silvery twists and curves — is the aesthetic opposite of the squarish museum. Its latticework skin covers two structures: a large hall for operas and a concert hall for recitals.

Liu Xiaolu, a Guangzhou Opera spokesman, said: ‘‘In a short period of time it has changed the cultural scene here, which was relatively limited until recently. Before it was just Beijing and Shanghai. Major international productions — whether it was opera or pop music — would pass right over us and go straight to Hong Kong. We just didn’t have the venues. We didn’t even have a stage large enough to fit all the swans in Swan Lake. Now it’s Guangzhou’s turn.’’

In its first two months, the house put on three fully staged operas, all of which were well attended. Mr. Liu noted that they had a good number of visitors from Hong Kong for the opening show, Puccini’s ‘‘Turandot.’’

Whenever an expensive project is built with state money, questions are raised about its relevance. Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Singapore, asked in an editorial whether top ticket prices for ‘‘Turandot,’’ at 2,880 renminbi, were appropriate in a city where the average monthly salary is 3,942 renminbi.

Arguably, ‘‘Turandot’’ was an exception, as it was the venue’s opening gala and was conducted by Lorin Maazel. Plus, many of the tickets went to officials, organizers and other V.I.P.s.

But even for the ‘‘Mulan’’ opera — a domestic production that has been on tour for several years — the best seats cost 1,200 renminbi.

The Guangzhou Opera countered that it has offered a range of discounted tickets for students and the disadvantaged. In an upcoming Canadian production of ‘‘Alice in Wonderland,’’ for instance, a donation from a corporate sponsor allowed seats for two of the four shows to be set aside for disadvantaged residents. ‘‘This is definitely a public facility,’’ Mr. Liu said.

In Chinese, the Guangzhou Opera’s name actually says nothing about opera — it is probably better translated as the Guangzhou Center for Performing Arts. Its roster of future events includes modern dance, multimedia shows, pop acts and children’s programming like ‘‘Sesame Street Live.’’ The spokesman said the house also is hoping to stage Yue Opera, or Cantonese Opera, with troupes from Hong Kong or Macao.

In terms of balancing artistic ambition with public sentiment, the opera house got it right with ‘‘Mulan,’’ which was about 80 percent full. It was the operatic version of the Chinese costume melodramas so loved by television audiences. It pulled at every populist heartstring, from the plucky woman warrior in a bright silk robe to the backdrops of peony branches and a red sunset over the Great Wall.

The composition for chorus and full orchestra — complete with a conductor in tails highlighted by a spotlight on stage — is Western. But there was a definite Chinese influence to the singing style and the volume of the percussion.

Or maybe the drums were there to drown out the crowd’s babbling, of telephones ringing, of children playing in the aisles and of people trying to sneak into better seats. A review of ‘‘Turandot’’ in the Financial Times in May made note of the myriad distractions, like flash photography and the static of the security guards’ walkie-talkies.

At the Guangdong Museum, meanwhile, Wang Xiaoying, the director of education and promotion, estimated that the venue was getting 7,000 to 8,000 visitors a day.

When construction is finished, people will be able to enter from the ground-floor entrance that is linked to the grassy area and the walkway to the opera. For now, they are herded into a waiting area ringed with metal barriers.

Still, on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, the line stretched down the street. Liu Jin, a Guangzhou resident, said he had been waiting 20 minutes to get in. ‘‘Of course it’s worth it to see,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s free to the public. Plus, every big city has a big museum and now we do, too.’’

Shiruba

August 14th, 2010, 06:24 AM

Does anyone know what builing in Guangzhou will have or has an observation deck?
The TV tower will have one, but what about the others new building in Zhujiang New Town? Leatop plaza would be perfect for that for example.

Joel que

August 14th, 2010, 10:47 AM

Guangzhou still long way to go.it needed massive urban renewal program.
travel to guangzhou and then to Hong Kong, I recall is just like inside the black and white television to a high definition color television.

hkskyline

August 14th, 2010, 05:06 PM

hkskyline

August 16th, 2010, 04:42 PM

Guangzhou slum residents battle police
Tear gas used on protesters in urban village facing demolition ahead of Asian Games
14 August 2010
South China Morning Post

Hundreds of residents and police in Guangzhou clashed early yesterday after the authorities started demolishing parts of a slum area slated to come under the wrecking ball ahead of the Asian Games.

City authorities have embarked on an ambitious drive to clear all slum areas as part of an image makeover for the games in November.

Security guards descended on the Xian village area in Tianhe district at around 10pm on Thursday, according to witnesses who live near the area. In the early hours of yesterday, hundreds of riot police poured into the area to confront residents.

Both sides threw rocks at each other. After a two-hour stand-off, riot police rushed towards the residents and started beating them, according to witnesses.

"We'll defend ourselves till we die," some of the residents were heard to shout.

The conflict continued till dawn. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and ordered residents to leave, according to a resident who lives opposite the Xian village.

"They were fighting with each other. Police were beating anybody who happened to be near," the resident, who refused to give his name, said by phone. "I saw a young man badly beaten. He was seriously wounded.

"How can police carry out their duties so violently?"

He said Xian villagers had demonstrated against the demolition plan many times over the past year but their voices went unheeded. They accused local officials of colluding with developers by selling their land below the market price. They also refused to move because they were trying to fight for more compensation.

A woman who lives nearby said a number of residents had attacked the officers and some threw bricks at police vehicles. There were more than a dozen police vehicles and riot police armed themselves with shields and sticks, she said.

"The residents were beating policemen too," she said.

The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said about 20 residents were wounded.

The Tianhe district government said yesterday that government officials in charge of the demolition encountered violence when carrying out their duty on Thursday, and two officers were injured. Local police were called to maintain order and some collectively owned properties were demolished according to law.

"The demolition would speed up the construction of a [high-speed link] and further improve the transportation environment," the e-mailed statement said.

A staff member at Xian village police station said no residential buildings had been demolished and only public areas such as a market had been demolished. He refused to respond to further questions.

"The residents are all still here," he said.

The Xian area, like many other so-called "urban villages", started decades ago as an agricultural community on the outskirts of the city. As Guangzhou began to prosper in the 1980s and '90s, they were dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers.

These slums make up about 22 per cent of the city. They are poorly built, have bad infrastructure and attract migrants and low-paid workers because of the cheap rents. They are considered hotbeds of crime.

The Guangzhou government wants to convert them into properties that make more efficient use of space. Nine of the 138 slums, including Xian, are under a deadline to be demolished by the time the Asian Games begin on November 12.

Shiruba

August 18th, 2010, 08:15 AM

Here some pictures taken today in Zhujiang New Town. I went there one month ago and I was really surprised today to see the progress they made.

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/shiruba84/IMG_9261.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/shiruba84/IMG_9255.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/shiruba84/IMG_9253.jpg
The probable entrance to that new "subway" line running through CBD

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/shiruba84/IMG_9278.jpg
Cladding close to completed

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/shiruba84/IMG_9285.jpg
The cladding finally started on the Leatop Plazza

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/shiruba84/IMG_9284.jpg

CoCoMilk

August 18th, 2010, 08:39 AM

^^ nice! thanks for the update

hkskyline

August 19th, 2010, 11:50 AM

Athletes to get cleaner air
17 August 2010
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

GUANGZHOU - Guangzhou is using a variety of high-tech measures to ensure air quality is up to scratch for the upcoming Asian Games.

As of September 1, owners of large-sized vehicles, such as limousines, are ordered to use the highest national standard of gasoline, which pollutes less.

The city's environmental protection bureau has set up 29 checkpoints to monitor automobile emissions along with four mobile units. Since August 1, the bureau has also carried out checks on vehicles' emission control systems to make sure they are working correctly.

About 30 percent of the total 9,300 government cars and the city's police officers' cars will be off the road from October 12 to December 22, in order to decrease pollution emissions, said Li Zhuo, director of the motor pollution control office, Guangzhou environmental protection bureau.

Meanwhile, all construction sites in the city, except those with special authorization, will be asked to stop building from the end of September to the end of December, said Zhang Guangning, secretary of Guangzhou Party committee.

In November, the city usually registers its worst air quality due to the colder weather, which makes it more difficult to monitor pollution.

Jian Jianyang, director of the pollution control division at the environmental protection bureau, said factories that pollute excessively will have to limit their production during the Games and will not be allowed to return to normal production levels until December 20.

The highly-polluted capital of Guangdong province began to look into improving its air quality after it won its bid to host the 16th Asian Games in July 2004.

"It's not just an emergency package to limit the air pollution," said Jian. "It's a long-term measure and we see the Games as an opportunity to achieve it quicker."

hkskyline

August 22nd, 2010, 08:20 AM

PROCTOR & GAMBLE CO PROMISES 'FULL COURT PRESS' IN CHINA

BEIJING, Aug 20 Asia Pulse - The world's largest consumer goods company Procter & Gamble Co (P&G) said that it plans to invest at least US$1 billion in China over the next five years, in an effort to strengthen both its manufacturing and research and development capabilities.

Bob McDonald, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of P&G told China Daily on Wednesday that "China is P&G's second-largest consumer market in the world following the United States, but per capita consumption is still far less than that of the US." For that reason, P&G is compelled to "continue to increase investment in the market", he said.

According to McDonald, P&G generated $5 billion in sales in China for fiscal year 2009, accounting for 7 percent of its global sales revenues of $75 billion.

As part of the investment plan, P&G will set up an innovation center in Beijing with an investment of $80 million and over 500 employees from 16 countries.

The innovation center aims to develop new products that are tailored especially for emerging markets including China.

"One of the reasons we (decided) to establish the innovation center here is we can take advantage of China's universities, research and development technologies and scientists," said McDonald.

The innovation center will mainly be involved in the development of products including fabric care, oral hygiene, baby care and snack foods.

In addition to the innovation center, a distribution center will be built next month in Guangzhou where the firm's Chinese headquarters is located, serving distribution for both home and abroad.

McDonald also said that P&G has decided to build the tenth new factory in the Yangtze River Delta region.

During the past over two decades, P&G has invested more than $1.5 billion in China.

The company's aggressive investments are driven by its ambitious goal of adding one billion more new consumers worldwide by 2015, from the current four billion.

Last year, sales in emerging markets contributed 30 percent of the company's total sales of $75 billion around the world.

McDonald is expecting emerging markets will contribute more than half of the company's growth next year.

"In the Chinese market, we're also planning to introduce more product categories to appeal to every consumer here," McDonald said, noting that P&G is currently in around 15 products categories in China, versus 35 in the US.

According to McDonald, one of the biggest challenges for P&G's development is governmental protectionism during the financial crisis.

P&G is now working with the Chinese government on a project named "10,000 Villages" designed to create distribution networks for household products in rural areas in China to reach more Chinese consumers as it targets 5 billion consumers by 2015.

Shiruba

September 3rd, 2010, 04:54 AM

I read in this article "South of Zhujiang New Town, a new CBD awaits (http://www.gz2010.cn/10/0723/14/6C9LJMPN0078008O.html)" that the CBD on the north south axis which goes from Citic Plazza to the TV Tower will be extended south in Haizhu Disctrict.

http://img6.cache.netease.com/gz2010/2010/7/23/201007231451174ef2a.jpg

http://img6.cache.netease.com/gz2010/2010/7/23/201007231451311152a.jpg

http://img5.cache.netease.com/gz2010/2010/7/23/20100723145202129ed.jpg

They don't tell much detail about the starting time nor the building.

So they will probably develop Baietan CBD and Haizhu CBD extension at the same time. Guangzhou is really "The" booming city in China with Chongqing and Tianjin.

CoCoMilk

September 3rd, 2010, 05:03 AM

^^ good news,

Guangzhou and Foshan have still many spots open for redevelopment in Central districts.

A combination of both Guangzhou and Foshan should reach around 2000 to 2500 km2 in core Urban city (excluding small suburbs and rural).

hkskyline

September 8th, 2010, 06:41 PM

China to build a batch of inter-city rail transit lines in 2011-2015
6 September 2010
Xinhua

FUZHOU - China will kick off construction of a batch of inter-city rail transit lines uring the 2011-2015 period, said Lu Dongfu, Chinese vice minister of railways, on a forum held in Fuzhou, capital city of the eastern Fujian province.

Lu said that inter-city transits, with high density, huge capacity and quick speed and being energy saving, safe, comfortable and punctual, have injected fresh vitality to China's city development.

Lu disclosed that during the 2011-2015 period, construction of some inter-city rail transit lines, including Changsha-Changde, Liuyang-Chengdu-Ya'an and Mianyang-Suining-Yibin rail transit lines, will be kicked off.

Meanwhile, the inter-city rail transits including Guangzhou-Shenzhen, Guangzhou-Zhuhai, Jiujiang-Nanchang and Eastern ring railways in Hainan, will be put into operation this year. Besides, construction of several other inter-railways is being advanced at present.

Lu noted that by 2015, China's passenger inter-city express lines will reach over 20,000 kilometers, which will covers all the provincial capitals and cities with population over 500,000 in the pan-Pearl River Delta area.

SanchezInsulationGZ

September 14th, 2010, 05:07 AM

Meanwhile, the inter-city rail transits including Guangzhou-Shenzhen, Guangzhou-Zhuhai, Jiujiang-Nanchang and Eastern ring railways in Hainan, will be put into operation this year. Besides, construction of several other inter-railways is being advanced at present.

Anyone know when this line will be open? before Asian Games?

The metro to Airport should be open any time also :)

Jim856796

September 15th, 2010, 02:47 AM

http://img6.cache.netease.com/gz2010/2010/7/23/201007231451174ef2a.jpg

http://img6.cache.netease.com/gz2010/2010/7/23/201007231451311152a.jpg

http://img5.cache.netease.com/gz2010/2010/7/23/20100723145202129ed.jpg

I don't know, that new CBD extension may get in the way of soem existing residential buildings, sone of which may be newly-built.

hkskyline

October 1st, 2010, 10:29 AM

GUANGZHOU UNVEILS 34 ENERGY EFFICIENT PROJECTS WORTH US$37BLN

GUANGZHOU, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - In an effort to build a low-carbon economy, the Guangzhou City Government in China has unveiled 34 energy efficient projects, amounting to a total planned investment of 250 billion yuan ($37.37 billion).

The projects include public transport systems, light-emitting diode (LED) products and projects in the new energy sector, Chen Haotian, deputy director of Guangzhou's development and reform commission, told a press conference.

The list of low-carbon projects will be extended in the future, he said.

The city authorities recently issued a guideline for speeding up the development of a low-carbon economy between 2011 and 2015, aiming to reduce energy intensity from the equivalence of 0.65 tons of coal per 10,000 yuan (US$1,494) of GDP to 0.54-0.56 tons in 2015 According to the guideline, the city plans to initiate widespread low-carbon economic activities next year in the hope of achieving low-carbon production and consumption in 2013.

"Many domestic cities have devised strategies for becoming low carbon. Those that get a head start will be in an advantageous position in the competition," Chen said.

The key tasks set out in the guideline include establishing a low-carbon means of economic production and consumption, using energy optimally, researching and applying related technologies, designing green architecture, low-carbon industrial parks and a carbon trading market.

For example, the first phase of the 200-million-yuan cooling system in Guangzhou's central business district is designed to annually reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 18,538 tons and sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 49 tons, according to the Guangzhou Pearl River New Town Energy Co.

Progress has been made in Guangzhou with the development of patented technologies for harnessing solar power, conserving energy in buildings, the development of biomass energy, smart transport and the distribution of energy.

In upgrading its economic structure, last year Guangzhou generated more than 60 per cent of its GDP from the service industry and 33 per cent of its industrial output from high-tech products, according to figures from the city government.

New energy and environmental industries contributed to 2 per cent of the industrial output of the city in 2008, while clean energy systems accounted for more than 20 per cent of the city's energy consumption.

However, there are still hurdles to be jumped before Guangzhou is able to achieve its low-carbon ambitions.

It will be challenging for the city to move away from being a high-energy consumer and producer of emissions, especially when there was an 8 per cent annual increase in the consumption of energy from 2006 to 2010.

Coal still accounts for 46 per cent of the city's energy use, Chen said.

It will also be difficult to persuade enterprises and individuals to upgrade their current equipment so that it is environmentally friendly, he added.

big-dog

October 1st, 2010, 01:06 PM

CBD underground system

http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/04AEBF88.002C

http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/04AEBF9C.002C

--home.news.cn

Danieldong

October 2nd, 2010, 03:32 PM

Wow, impressive Guangzhou, a mega-city of China.

hkskyline

October 19th, 2010, 05:11 PM

Subway line's ok, they say
18 October 2010
Copyright 2010 China Daily Information Company. All Rights Reserved.

Some doubts about the safety of a certain part of Guangzhou's northern subway extension that were made public in September have now been laid to rest - maybe.

It all has to do with claims of substandard concrete work in a passage in the northern extension of Subway Line 3, which were made over the Internet in mid-September.

The whistleblower was Zhong Jizhang, an engineer at the Guangzhou Huijian Center of Engineering Quality and Safety Monitoring, who claimed there had been a cover-up, which triggered worries about the safety of the city's subway projects.

A spokesman for the city's urban-rural construction commission confirmed Zhong's report on Oct 15, but said that the passage was safe to use and cited a study by a team of experts that the commission had asked to examine it.

The passage in question links two tunnels for work and emergency purposes and is not itself a major tunnel for trains.

The commission's group of experts concluded on Oct14 that the concrete issues would have "no decisive impact on the quality of the entire project" and could meet safety requirements.

But the cause of the flaw is still under investigation, the spokesman added.

Zhong, the whistleblower, is a retired engineer who works for the engineering quality center, and who said in his blog that the tunnels had been given the all clear last year in spite of the substandard quality of the work.

The spokesman confirmed that the Guangzhou Metro Corp (GMC) discovered the flaw in October of last year and asked the project's designer to "evaluate the structural safety".

The design institute concluded that, in spite of the concrete flaw, the passage still met all structural safety requirements.

However, a Guangzhou-based newspaper disputed this in a report on Oct 13 that said tests by two companies hired by the GMC and the construction company found that the concrete in part of the passage failed to meet design specifications.

When the public began expressing doubts about this last week, the city sent a team of experts to do a thorough check of the passage and look for any flaws in construction work and project monitoring. They concluded that it was safe to use.

The construction commission said they would continue to monitor the quality of the northern extension "in a strict way". The line is scheduled for completion this month so that it will be in operation by November, before the Asian Games.

But, on Oct 14, it was reported that Beijing's Chang Cheng Bilfinger Berger Construction Engineering Co Ltd, which handled the extension, has been banned from bidding for any new projects in Guangzhou for six months.

Chang Cheng Bilfinger was established in 1995 as a Sino-German joint venture. The parent companies are Germany's Bilfinger Berger AG and the Beijing Construction Engineering Group.

Guangzhou has plans for its subway network to have eight lines, for a total of 236 km, when the Asian Games open next month. The current six lines handled a record 5.13 million passengers on the national day holiday, Oct 1.

Shiruba

October 30th, 2010, 05:18 PM

Here is a summary of all major development plans in Guangzhou. Some is old news, some maybe new.

1. Zhujiang New Town CBD Eastward Extension; Yuancun and Pazhou development 珠江新城CBD 员村-琶洲

Masterplan for the New CBD extension has started in 2008. In 2010 the master plan in black below has been chosen. They are now making a more detailed plan. Yuancun is Divided in three zones the first one next to Zhujiang New Town will be the financial centre (D), next to that one is called the "Creative Island" (E) and the last one on the extreme right a Leisure and Fashion Centre (F). The area is already densly build as it is a cheap and popular residential area. Massive destruction will be done in order to build a better transport network and make space for new and modern residential buildings and office towers.

South of the Zhujiang River, the Pazhou area will be redevelopped as well focusing on office, exhibition, commercial venues and hotel. The area is hosting several old villages, Huangpucun and it's old harbour will be presevered and renewed while others with little architectural and historical value will be destroyed and replaced by new constructions.

Yuancun and Pazhou will be linked by 3 new tunels and a sightseeing bridge and several Subway lines will be build.

http://www.upo.gov.cn/Accessories/2008/img/200806/20080605171001b.jpg
Zhujiang New Town is on the upper left corner

http://www.upo.gov.cn/Accessories/2008/img/200806/20080605171012b.jpg

http://www.gzonline.net/image/2010/201006/20100613/20100613083232_99717.jpg

You can find more pictures about the old projects here (http://www.upo.gov.cn/pages/news/bjxw/2008/512.shtml)

2. Baietan New CBD 白鹅潭

This project is supposed to start once the Zhujiang New Town area will be completed. It will be located in the south-west of Guangzhou on the border with Foshan.

http://www.supdri.com/up_files/09070824(1).jpg

http://img3.cache.netease.com/house/2010/6/24/201006241553270fdab.jpg

http://img4.cache.netease.com/house/2010/6/24/2010062415535441e9b.jpg

More pictures here (http://www.upo.gov.cn/pages/news/bjxw/2008/560.shtml)

3. Baiyun New Town RBD, 白云新城 RBD

This project is located north-west of Guangzhou around the old Baiyun Airport, that has been closed in 2004. It will be the RBD (Recreational Business District) of Guangzhou which is supposed to become a major cultural, shopping and entertainment centre in a near future. Construction has started few years ago without much people having heard about it.

http://img3.cache.netease.com/house/2010/4/7/2010040711321793645.jpg

http://gardens.m6699.com/upload_files/other/_20090416180427_11464.jpg

http://news.mycgs.cn/uploads/userup/0804/142345114116.jpg

http://www.frontop.cn/uploads/upload_files/image/20101019023232125.jpg

http://www.gzcentaline.com.cn/UploadImage/BuildingPic/20100517//20100517411733968.jpg

http://img3.cache.netease.com/house/2010/4/7/201004071449115ae5f.jpg

http://img4.cache.netease.com/house/2010/4/6/2010040616104728748.jpg
http://img3.cache.netease.com/house/2010/4/6/20100406160759b3fef.jpg
Gate 5 Mall, build in old airport's 5th Gate

http://img1.gtimg.com/news/pics/28762/28762456.jpg
Wanda Mall

4. Central Axis southers expension

South of the newly build Canton Tower will be extended the central axis. The central axis will go from the Guangzhou East Railway station behind the citic plazza to the the very south of Haizhu District. It's lengh will be doubled and reach 12km in total.

http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/049A5BEB.002C

Here some proposal for master plans (I saw others but can't find them back)

http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/049A5BD8.002C

http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/049A5BE3.002C

5. South Station's Guangzhou New Town

Little information about this project so far. They want to develop the area on the east of the railway station in Panyu.

http://www.hnchain.com/mall/UploadFiles_6124/201012/2010120310514287.jpg

2015 & 2020 Subway plan

http://www.ditiezu.net/attachment/201012/28/128258_1293530150JNKM.gif

http://www.ditiezu.net/attachment/201012/28/128258_1293530155E8vF.gif

I am living here for a while now, and I didn't expect Guangzhou to have so many major projects. Most people who have been here don't like it. But to those guys I wanna say: It's just a matter of time. Guangzhou is becoming a monster city with multiple centres like Tokyo has. Can't wait to see it in 10 years.

Jim856796

October 31st, 2010, 03:04 AM

Guangzhou is going to have 3 extensive business districts (Zhujiang, Baientan, and Baiyun) in the future? At this rate, it's going to end up like a second Shanghai. The files are too large, however.

At Zhujiang, why is the ground of the old racecourse being kept? I thought their stands were demolished years ago and I expected the former venue to be wiped out altogether.

hkskyline

October 31st, 2010, 06:48 PM

Guangzhou suggested as Expo host in 2025
29 October 2010
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

BEIJING - As the Shanghai Expo draws to a close, China is already considering a bid for another and is confident of hosting the global showpiece again in 2025, a senior official said on Thursday.

Currently a number of Chinese cities, including Ningbo and Guangzhou, have offered themselves as potential hosts, said Wan Jifei, deputy director of the Shanghai Expo Organizing Committee and chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

"We are hopeful that China will hold another World Expo, probably in 2025," Wan told China Daily. "I think Guangzhou is the best choice."

The capital of Guangdong province is the host city for the upcoming Asian Games, one of the world's largest sporting events.

"Economic strength is vital for hosting a World Expo," Wan said. "Similar to Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta, Guangzhou, as the center of the Pearl River Delta, has a vibrant economy and a profound cultural background, which can best represent the country."

An Expo candidate city must have a per capita GDP of $8,000, according to Wan.

Guangzhou's per capita GDP was about $11,700 in 2008 and is on its way to reach $15,000 at the end of this year, official figures show.

Wan also said that it's common practice for a country to host more than one Expo. The United States tops the list with 30 Expos - including eight comprehensive fairs like the one in Shanghai - since the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, considered the forerunner of World Fairs and Expos.

As the Shanghai Expo prepares to draw the final curtain this weekend, Wan has every reason to be proud.

"This is the first time the World Expo was held in a developing country and we can definitely call it a success," Wan said. "It fulfilled its target of being a splendid, successful and unforgettable cultural gala."

The Expo 2010 Shanghai opened on May 1 under the banner of "Better City, Better Life", with 189 countries and 57 international organizations participating.

On Sunday morning, total attendance at the fair surpassed the target of 70 million. The number stood at 71.84 million as of Thursday.

"I was delighted to hear about it and I am amazed that the estimated attendance was correct," Wan said, adding that about 5 percent, or 3.5 million visitors, were overseas tourists.

"The Expo will leave a profound legacy to Shanghai and China as a whole, in terms of the economy, science and technology, as well as society," he said.

Income from tickets, licensed products, and sponsorship show Expo had a "remarkable" impact on the city. The event helped generate more than 80 billion yuan ($12 billion) in tourism revenue for Shanghai and neighboring Yangtze River Delta cities, the China Tourism Academy said.

"The idea of using new energy and developing a low-carbon economy is the most valuable treasure that the Expo leaves for China's economic, technological and social development," Wan said.

For instance, bamboo or zero-carbon homes, chairs made from recycled newspaper, and chopsticks made of biscuits, all on display at the Expo, showcase the innovation of various countries and companies in adopting the Expo's theme.

It can take years between the first bid to host an Expo and final confirmation. The Chinese government officially decided that Shanghai would bid for the 2010 World Expo on Nov 18, 1999, and the city won the bid at the 132nd General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau on Dec 3, 2002.

"Of course it is too early to confirm the full extent of Expo's influence on China," he said. "We feel a lot of pressure after this success. My colleagues at the CCPIT and I have already started work on future events - the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea, and the 2015 event in Milan, Italy, as well as others. For us, the Expo will never end."

Ding Qingfen contributed to this story.

hkskyline

November 8th, 2010, 04:35 PM

Loss of way of life angers city's residents
8 November 2010
South China Morning Post

Ringson Chen, a 27-year-old financial planner, is no cultural expert. But he resents the disappearance of the Guangzhou he knew as a child.

"There used to be lots of old buildings in the Lingnan architectural style in Guangzhou, but so many have been demolished in preparations for the Asian Games," he sighed. "Now, the city's atmosphere is completely changed. You wouldn't know you're in Guangzhou any more."

Chen is just one of many native Guangzhou residents who are outraged about the demise of their local culture and the disappearance of their original way of life, thanks to the rapid economic development in recent years.

Ironically it is the Asian Games, supposed to promote Guangzhou as one of China's most prestigious and cultural cities, that has helped hasten the erosion of its heritage, residents say.

Even though the demolition of old quarters of the city started long before the Asian Games frenzy began, the event has provided fresh impetus for developers to speed up construction amid a government-led drive to boost the image of the city.

The construction of new underground railway lines ahead of the Games, for example, has meant many old buildings had to go under the wrecking ball. But residents are far angrier at commercial property development projects that destroy the old Guangzhou they loved.

Across Guangzhou, many two-storey houses with Guangdong's signature Lingnan architectural style have been razed and replaced by gleaming skyscrapers. Old stone-paved alleys have been bulldozed to make way for dual-carriageways. Traditional dim-sum restaurants have been vanishing amid the demolition of old residential areas.

The rapid disappearance of the old Guangzhou has left many local residents feeling helpless and insecure, but they say they are powerless to do anything. They say they are often left in the dark about the demolition projects until the last minute and when they are told, they are often given a consultation period of just 15 days.

And some gripe that the modernisation drive - in the name of the Games - has stripped the city of its unique character and created a glossy but bland looking city like any one of dozens on the mainland.

"The streets look completely different now and you can't see a trace of history anywhere," said one 28-year-old marketing executive.

Native Guangdong residents also feel increasingly alienated in their home city by an influx of migrant workers who cannot speak the local dialect.

"Now you walk into a shop, or get into a taxi and they speak Putonghua to you," said 22-year-old Domo Lun. "There are more and more outsiders in Guangzhou and we're forced to speak Putonghua in our own city."

This, against the backdrop of the central government's policy of mandatory use of Putonghua in government, education and virtually all of the state media, is a powerful enough force to threaten the Cantonese dialect, they say.

A number of Guangzhou schools have reportedly threatened children with punishment if they are found speaking Cantonese even at playtime. Many primary school pupils are unable to communicate with Cantonese-speaking grandparents because they have become so used to speaking Putonghua at school.

Linguists point out that Cantonese contains elements of ancient Chinese that can no longer be heard in Putonghua and should be preserved.

Many native Guangzhou residents say they are not averse to speaking Putonghua but resent the fact that it has taken over from Cantonese in everyday life.

Tensions came to a head over the summer after a local official proposed that Cantonese prime-time television programming be replaced by shows broadcast in Putonghua to make Guangzhou a more attractive place for Asian Games visitors.

Hundreds attended two Guangzhou rallies to defend Cantonese in July and August. Observers say these were manifestations of long bottled-up resentment against the marginalisation of their once-thriving local culture and language.

"That was the last straw. [The rallies] were a collective venting of anger," said Guangdong native writer Ye Du. "The effort to save Cantonese is an expression of our pain over the loss of our traditional culture."

Li Gongming , a professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, said many local residents, even young ones, simply cannot face the dramatic changes made to their home towns. "When local people see the face of their home city altered beyond recognition, they simply do not know what to do. They are helpless amid all the changes and they have no voice," Li said.

Despite a flurry of official events aimed at promoting Guangdong folk culture ahead of and during the Asian Games, native Guangzhou residents say they would rather the government invest in the preservation of cultural heritage and their dialect to maintain the city's uniqueness and long-term attractiveness.

"I just miss that feeling of the old Guangzhou - the language and the way of life," said Michelle Xie, a 21-year-old hair stylist.

hkskyline

November 11th, 2010, 12:15 PM

Subway line rushed for Asian Games 'fails safety standards'
7 November 2010
SCMP

Guangzhou authorities have admitted some technical flaws in recently-built infrastructure, but say the rush to prepare the city for the Asian Games has not compromised the safety of its transport network.

Blogger Zhong Jizhang, an engineer at the Guangzhou Huijian Centre of Engineering Quality and Safety Monitoring, who uses the internet nickname "death-defying grandpa", has alleged that its No3 Metro line failed to meet safety standards.

The 67.25 kilometre line, linking Baiyun International Airport with the city's East Railway Station, is the mainland's longest subway line. Although part of the line has been operating for some years, the entire length was only completed on October 30, according to the website of CSR Corporation, a state-owned rolling stock manufacturer. Trains made by CSR operating on the No3 line are the fastest on the mainland, operating at speeds of up to 120km/h.

"The No3 Metro line that passes Guangzhou Asian Games venues does not meet standards and contains serious hidden safety risks, yet it is still being put to use," Zhong said on his blog.

He added that a section of the line had failed to come up to national construction standards and alleged that some officials had tried to cover the problem up.

Zhong's allegations generated a storm of comments from mainland internet users and then found their way into the mainstream media.

The Southern Metropolis Daily reported that Guangzhou executive vice-mayor Su Zequn had admitted that a section of the line failed to meet cement hardness standards but he said the section in question was not part of the main line and that meant its safety had not been compromised.

The Hong Kong edition of the China Daily reported that a Sino-German joint venture, Beijing Chang Cheng Bilfinger Berger Construction Engineering, that built the section of line concerned was blacklisted and banned from bidding for further projects in Guangzhou for six months. Beijing Bilfinger is a joint venture between Bilfinger Berger of Germany and Beijing Construction Engineering Group.

But Beijing Bilfinger told the South China Morning Post it had not received notification about any such ban. The company said that just because a part of the line did not meet a specification did not mean the line had failed to meet standards.

"The No3 line is safe and has met quality standards. This matter is currently being addressed by the authorities," it said. "We are fully co-operating with the authorities in their investigation."

Zhong wrote on his micro-blog on October 20 that the Guangzhou Metro Corporation, the state-owned firm in charge of the city's subway network, had told him that the provincial government had ordered a new inspection of the line. However, he was reluctant to go into further detail.

"It's better not to discuss this sensitive matter before the Asian Games," he told the South China Morning Post. "We should consider the public good."

Professor Zheng Tianxiang, a transport specialist at Guangzhou's Sun Yat-sen University, says China regularly runs the risk of sacrificing safety for speed in meeting construction project deadlines because state-owned enterprises involved in such projects follow orders instead of taking a scientific approach.

"If Chinese companies adopted a scientific approach, the safety risk would be much lower," he said. "Quality must not be sacrificed for the sake of speed. Safety is more important than economic efficiency."

Guangzhou now has 236 kilometres of subway line, up from just one 18 kilometre line eight years ago. The city's metro lines are part of the 109 billion yuan which Guangzhou has so far invested in infrastructure projects and upgrading the city's environment.

Zheng said inefficiency and poor planning had been evident in the frenetic expansion. For instance, the No4 line between Nansha and some Asian Games venues served a sparsely populated area. Priority should rather have been given to building rail lines to serve densely populated areas first, he said.

"Many sports facilities have been built for the Asian Games, but most of them will probably not be used after the Games," Zheng said. "There won't be so many sports events to justify the use of so many facilities."

Shiruba

January 9th, 2011, 07:08 PM

New details about the Pazhou development plan have been revealed 2 weeks ago.

http://img3.cache.netease.com/house/2010/12/17/201012170912227eadc.jpg

They mention a 80-floor office building to be build. This might be around the 400m if I'm not mistaking. According to the picture I guess this will be on the east of the Pazhou Pagoda Park (east of Pazhou Exhibition Centre). They also speak about several other residential buildings of 18 floors and also one of 43 floors.

The picture doesn't show anything that looks like 400m. Renders will show up soon probably.

Here the source (http://gz.house.163.com/10/1217/09/6O3IIO6700873L40.html), all in chinese though. I probably didn't get all the information in it as my chinese is just average. Maybe some of you will find some other interesting information.

Shiruba

January 9th, 2011, 08:25 PM

According to some chinese officials, Pazhou is supposed to become the Manhattan of Guangzhou. Here are some projects I've found on the web.
All low rises but with interesting design though.

Here below probably a shopping mall

http://newsimg.focus.cn/zjmnewsimg/newsimg_t_125095/419274.jpg

http://newsimg.focus.cn/zjmnewsimg/newsimg_t_125095/419273.jpg

http://www.jewelchina.com/hypic/2010/4/2010042313461893071b.jpg

Another one with weird design, under construction

http://www.mt-wire.com/include/uploadfile/20100129163359231.jpg

http://www.ce.cn/cysc/newmain/yc/jsxw/200912/04/W020091204522391378413.jpg

http://images.gz.house.sina.com.cn/biz/builds/2010-08-02/U2771P646T407D532F14744DT20100802111120.jpg

Munwon

January 9th, 2011, 09:41 PM

Great find Shiruba!!! Please give us more!!!

hkskyline

January 17th, 2011, 02:21 PM

400-STORE MALL TO COME IN GUANGZHOU
13 January 2011
China Daily

HONG KONG - Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd, developer of Hong Kong's iconic stretch of bars and restaurants, will expand in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to tap growing domestic consumption.

As many as 70 bars and restaurants will be opened in a 148,000-square-meter shopping mall in the southern Chinese city later this year, Lan Kwai Fong Chairman Allan Zeman said, without giving an investment amount.

The "Mall of the World" project will be a joint venture with the government and have 400 shops.

Tea houses and hot-pot restaurants were opened for the company's Chengdu expansion to cater to Chinese tastes and a similar plan will be adopted for Guangzhou, he said.

"If you want to do well in China, you have to fit in with the culture," said Zeman, who is studying a third expansion in Hangzhou in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

"Consumer spending is huge in China, it's absolutely amazing," Zeman said.

Retail sales in China grew an average of 18.4 percent in the first 11 months last year.

Retailers, including LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA and Salvatore Ferragamo SpA, are seeing rising sales in China and some are planning expansions in the world's fastest-growing major economy.

Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong's central business district contains more than 100 restaurants and bars. A two-year redevelopment plan of the stretch, which includes building a 28-story block designed with terraces on every floor for smokers, who are banned from lighting up indoors, is expected to be completed by 2013, Zeman said.

hkskyline

January 25th, 2011, 09:31 AM

Nine cities to be linked in Delta megalopolis
24 January 2011
SCMP

An ambitious urbanisation project aims to turn the Pearl River Delta, the factory of the world, into a super-size metropolis similar to Tokyo's sprawl.

In just a few years' time, it will no longer be just a concept, as the Guangdong government is planning the project at a cost of nearly 2 trillion yuan (HK$2.36 trillion) to merge nine cities and the rural area inbetween.

The Pearl River Delta Reform and Development planning framework is a priority of the province's 12th five-year plan.

The merged megalopolis will encompass about 40,000 sq km with a population of 42 million.

About 150 major infrastructural projects will integrate transport, energy, water works, information and telecommunications in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan , Dongguan , Zhongshan , Zhuhai , Jiangmen , Huizhou and Zhaoqing .

Together, they now comprise about 10 per cent of the national gross domestic product.

The plan, endorsed by the State Council in 2009, essentially turns the delta into an experiment in the mainland's attempt to deepen economic reform.

Although the State Council chose the area to be the forefront of the reform and opening-up campaign, which has made the delta prosperous for the past 30 years, it has lost its competitive advantage to city groupings in the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang ) and the Bohai Economic Rim (surrounding Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang ).

Officials say they hope the Pearl River Delta region will be forged into a "globally competitive" and "vigorous area in the Asia-Pacific region by 2020".

Under the framework, an efficient intercity rail network comparable to that of greater London or Tokyo will connect the Delta cities.

Twenty-nine rail or light rail lines totalling 5,000 kilometres will be constructed, and the result will cut travel times to a maximum of one hour.

In addition, residents anywhere in the province will get to pay transport fares using a single smart card.

Phone bills could also be 85 per cent lower in a few years as long-distance charges within the merged area will be slashed. Public services such as education, health and social welfare will be unified.

Pollution - the price the Pearl River Delta has paid for being the former vanguard of China's economic reform - will also be addressed together. By 2020, the promise is that people will be closer, the water will be cleaner and the air will be fresher.

The plan has also outlined comprehensive development for the delta including industrial upgrades, technology innovation, environmental protection and social welfare until 2020. The prices of petrol, electricity, telecommunication services and other public necessities in those cities would also become unified.

The blueprint also identifies 30 key industries that are intellectual property and technology-intensive.

Authorities expect hi-tech manufacturing to make up 30 per cent of the province's industrial growth in the next decade, with service industries, including financial, 60 per cent.

By the end of next year, people with low incomes will be free to move around the delta, as their qualification for subsidised housing will be recognised no matter where they go.

Hong Kong and Macau are not included in the blueprint but could benefit from the integration if they become more actively involved in the region's infrastructure and industrial development, analysts say.

A light railway in Macau, to be completed by the end of 2014, will help connect public transport users throughout the city as well as with the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway. Passengers could then travel from Macau to Guangzhou in one hour.

When the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link is finished by the end of 2016, it will whisk passengers from West Kowloon to Futian station in central Shenzhen in just 14 minutes, with the ride to Guangzhou lasting 36 minutes, compared to about two hours currently.

But Professor Lin Jiang, of the Centre for Hong Kong, Macau and Pearl River Delta Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said both Hong Kong and Macau would find it difficult to integrate with the region.

Michael Tien Puk-sun, a member of Guangdong People's Political Consultative Conference and former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, said the essence of the Pearl River Delta integration would be about connecting people.

But he said Hong Kong was not doing too well in this department.

"If people are not able to move around freely, all talk of integration is simply meaningless. Just look at how much red tape one has to go through to cross the border. The Kowloon-Guangzhou through train runs only once an hour.

"If we are merging Hong Kong with the Pearl River Delta, the train service should really be once every several minutes." He added: "The current transportation mode from Hong Kong to the rest of the Pearl River Delta is very inconvenient. Constant traffic jams on the roads directly reduce our productivity."

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge - a series of bridges connecting the three cities - is due to be completed around 2015, but Tien it was a shame the project had neglected the railway element.

He said if the bridges could have been equipped with rail lines, the entire Pearl River Delta would form a nice, closely-connected circle.

"For railway construction, the key is linking," Tien said. "It's a real shame to see the bridge stop at Macau with no further link to the mainland.

"There is no turning back now, as things have already been planned. We can only rely on road transport for the time being.

Shiruba

January 31st, 2011, 08:22 AM

^^ above information had been denied. Information is relying on wrong reports.
I will try to find the source back and post it here.

hkskyline

February 4th, 2011, 07:34 PM

South China metropolis may impose strict rules to ease congestion
Xinhua News Agency
1 February 2011

GUANGZHOU -- The capital city of south China's Guangdong Province is considering collecting higher road-use fees from motorists in an effort to alleviate congestion.

Guangzhou's traffic committee is soliciting public opinions on a draft of measures involving congestion fees similar to those imposed in Singapore and London.

The traffic department is accepting public submissions up to March 5.

The proposals published on January 23 also include parking fees designed to redirect vehicles to quieter parts of the city and encourage more people to use the public transport system.

The city will begin construction of 11 new rail routes over the next five years and 3,000 buses will be added to downtown services, boosting the public transport proportion of the city's traffic volume to 70 percent from 59.6 percent last year.

Guangzhou also plans to further reform the use of official cars, which contribute to traffic jams on Guangzhou's roads.

Guangzhou has almost 2.15 million registered vehicles. The city's traffic department granted more than 300,000 license plates to new car owners last year.

The number of private cars in Guangzhou has grown at an annual average rate of 22.1 percent over the past five years. The figure is 20.9 percent in Beijing and 21.5 percent in Shanghai.

Guangzhou has more than 90 cars for every 1,000 residents.

Beijing, with 20 million people and 4.8 million vehicles, has imposed a tough congestion-tackling measure, in which issuance of new car license plates this year is reduced to 240,000, a third the number in 2010.

From Jan. 1, applications by car buyers in Beijing were subjected to a lottery-style selection method to choose who could buy a new car.

However, Guangdong would not copy Beijing's practice of limiting vehicle registrations, because allowing more residents to own private cars was part of the provincial government's campaign to build a "happy Guangdong Province," Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua has said. (XBW)

hkskyline

February 10th, 2011, 03:59 PM

Whistleblower fired for sounding off on subway
9 February 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

GUANGZHOU - A whistleblower is looking for a new job after he blogged about shoddy subway construction in this Guangdong provincial capital.

On Aug 30, two and a half months before the opening of the Guangzhou Asian Games, 69-year-old engineer Zhong Jizhang wrote that the intensity of the concrete used in the construction of the subway's Line 3 northern extension failed to meet national standards.

He further claimed that the concrete's inferiority and possible hazards were intentionally covered up by the contractor.

Zhong, a former engineer at the Guangzhou Suijian Center of Engineering Quality and Safety Monitoring, was the deputy chief of an inspection team examining the quality of the project.

His revelation later attracted attention from the media and sparked a host of coverage.

Zhang said he found the substandard concrete intensity as early as October 2009, and accused his boss of concealing the problems after taking a bribe from the contractor, according to Guangzhou-based New Express Daily.

After Zhong made the claim, Guangzhou Mayor Wan Qingliang urged relevant government departments to launch a thorough investigation on the city's metro projects.

As a result, the project's contractor was blacklisted and banned from bidding for any project in Guangzhou in the near future.

The Guangzhou urban-rural construction committee then established an independent panel of experts to evaluate and inspect the project's construction. The experts said the construction quality met the safety standards and no reinforcement work was needed.

However, the experts' verdict did not convince Zhong, who insisted the national standard must be strictly implemented.

After his online disclosure, Zhong's company notified him that his contract would expire at the end of December and would not be extended.

Zhong, a graduate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a veteran engineer of bridges and tunnels, said he is now busy looking for employment, the New Express Daily reported.

"I never regret (exposing the safety problems) as I told the truth and satisfied my conscience," Zhong was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

It was worth doing and he did not hate his employer, he added.

The Guangzhou Suijian Center of Engineering Quality and Safety Monitoring refused to comment on the case on Tuesday.

Zhong quickly became a hero among local netizens, once earning the nickname Maosiye, or "Death-defying Grandpa".

Chen Fanghong, a Guangzhou white-collar worker, said Zhong should not face retaliation by his employer just because he spoke the truth.

"Zhong dared to tell the truth under pressure and his behavior should be respected and encouraged," Chen said.

hkskyline

February 21st, 2011, 02:08 PM

Secretary for Development visits Guangzhou urban development projects
Hong Kong Government Press Release
19 February 2011

The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (February 19) continued her visit to Guangzhou to learn more about the urban development in the province.

In the morning, Mrs Lam visited a creative arts centre, the Redtory. Originally a canning factory in the Soviet style, the abandoned factory compound has been converted into a creative art centre with units available for renting by individual artists.

Mrs Lam then visited Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Pazhou Complex) and Asian Games Town. Pazhou Complex is the hosting venue of the annual China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair). Asia Games Town is located in the southern part of Guangzhou. Now that the Asian Games has taken place, the area will undergo further construction work to convert it into a residential area accommodating up to 100,000 people, in the process assisting the further development of adjacent cities.

In the afternoon, Mrs Lam toured Guangzhou South Railway Station in Panyu. Operational since January 2010, Guangzhou South Railway Station serves as a composite transport interchange where passengers can conveniently switch between express rail link, metro, taxi and bus services.

Having completed her two-day visit to Guangzhou, Mrs Lam returned to Hong Kong this evening.

hkskyline

February 22nd, 2011, 04:25 PM

Guangzhou to invest 63b yuan in rail network
22 February 2011
SCMP

Guangzhou plans to spend 63 billion yuan (HK$74.58 billion) to expand its railway system in the next five years, the city's reform and development commission says.

A draft plan revealed at the annual meeting of the city's people's congress, which opened yesterday, said it would build three more metro lines - taking its total to 11 - and push ahead with constructing intercity rail links.

It is part of Guangzhou's plan to improve public transport and people's livelihoods in the next five years.

Guangdong party boss Wang Yang said it was time for people in the province - many struggling with high inflation, exorbitant taxes and unaffordable homes - to feel happy and he recently pledged to slow down Guangdong's annual economic growth rate from 12.5 to 8 per cent during the 12th five-year plan.

Speaking at the meeting's opening ceremony yesterday, Guangzhou mayor Wan Qingliang set 10 specific goals for improving people's living standards as the city works to boost residents' incomes, fight inflation and provide more affordable housing. The provincial capital's gross domestic product increased by 13 per cent last year and it is targeting growth of 11 per cent this year.

Guangzhou also plans to alleviate poverty in eight towns and 206 villages in the city's north, aiming to lift average annual incomes to at least 5,000 yuan by next year.

Meanwhile, the city will complete 68,700 low-cost, subsidised homes and begin building another 43,000. By the end of this year, the city government says the scheme should have helped solve the housing problems of 77,177 low-income families who registered with it in 2008.

In expanding the railway system over the next five years, Guangzhou will begin the first-phase construction of its seventh metro line, at a cost of about 7.8 billion yuan, and the first phase of its ninth metro line, at a cost of about 11.3 billion yuan. About 11.4 billion yuan of the funds will come from bank loans. Phase-two construction of the sixth metro line, costing around 11 billion yuan, will also begin by 2013. The city's existing eight-line metro system is not numbered sequentially.

The city will also begin work on the Guangzhou section of an intercity railway linking Dongguan and Shenzhen. Total investment in the Guangzhou section will be 1.5 billion yuan. Another railway linking Guangzhou to Shantou in eastern Guangdong, running for about 250 kilometres and costing 23 billion yuan, will also begin within the next five years. The Guangzhou government is also planning a line in Nansha, linking the district with Jiangmen , Foshan and Zhongshan . The 94-kilometre line will cost 9.2 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, the nation's top planning body in Beijing has approved a high-speed railway project along the coast of western Guangdong, local media reported. The 372-kilometre project - linking northern Shenzhen, Guangzhou's Nansha district, Zhongshan and Jiangmen to Yangjiang and Maoming in western Guangdong - will cost more than 45.8 billion yuan.

khoojyh

February 22nd, 2011, 07:42 PM

Guangzhou is doing well in the development but i dont hope the traffic as worse as in Beijing (for me Mumbai is the worse)

Also, this city is changing her face everday, hope to see more awesome building stand in Guangzhou.

hkskyline

February 27th, 2011, 04:28 AM

China Southern Air to Build Aviation City with CNY10bn
25 February 2011

GUANGHZOU, February 25, SinoCast -- China Southern Air Holding Company will invest CNY 10 billion in building the aviation industrial city project in Guangzhou, the transportation hub in southern China.

The project will form an industrial chain with the focus on air transportation and also be the home of supporting industries. It will include such operations as the aviation financial center, in addition to the headquarters base of China Southern Air, one of China's three largest airline groups.

The Guangzhou Mayor Wan Qingliang pointed out that the development of China Southern Air reinforced Guangzhou's position as a central city in the country and enhanced its function as a comprehensive city. The city, in return, will further support the growth of the airline group and accelerate the airport economy.

In late 2010, China Southern Air announced that it would recruit 30-50 foreign aircraft commanders in a bid to expand its human resources.

It wants to seek commanders below the age of 55 in Oceania, America, and Europe, all of whom are expected to fly the A330 aircraft, disclosed an executive for the state-owned company.

cardiff

March 2nd, 2011, 07:54 PM

Are there any links or photos of the new opera house?

hkskyline

March 6th, 2011, 05:21 PM

Are there any links or photos of the new opera house?

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7612.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7696.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7698.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7701.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7705.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7760.jpg

cardiff

March 7th, 2011, 01:50 AM

Thanks, the reason i ask is she proposed one for Cardiff, completely different design to this one but interesting to see what might have been in a small way. Its very impressive, i especially like the glazed parts.

hkskyline

March 10th, 2011, 11:00 AM

Upon close inspection, the building was quite poorly-constructed. The wall tiles have big gaps between them and I suspect it may leak in the rainy season. The tiles themselves were also not well-cleaned before opening, and the glass definitely needs a polishing as well. It looks far better from a distance.

hkskyline

March 14th, 2011, 04:46 PM

Nansha to drive Guangzhou development
9 March 2011
SCMP

With Beijing's blessing, Nansha is set to drive Guangzhou's development while becoming an integral part of an internationally competitive city cluster in the Pearl River Delta.

However, experts warned yesterday that the authorities would have to overcome institutionalised problems such as corruption and reform governance in order to achieve the ambitious goals set out for new development zones.

Nansha's repositioning comes as a major boost for the district after the beating its economic morale took in 2009 when it lost out to Zhanjiang , in western Guangdong, on two massive projects - a Sino-Kuwait petrochemical refinery and a national steel manufacturing hub.

During the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing this week, provincial party chief Wang Yang revealed a plan to reposition Nansha as a pioneer to rejuvenate Guangzhou's development.

"I think we can forge a new Guangzhou by positioning Nansha's new development zone as a breakthrough point," Wang told the Guangdong discussion panel meeting on Monday.

Guangzhou city planning authorities are expected to deliver a new planning proposal for Nansha by the end of this year. City party chief Zhang Guangning said Nansha could be turned into a service hub, connected to Hong Kong's "business, financial and technological innovation centre".

Under the nation's 12th five-year plan, Nansha, Qianhai in Shenzhen and Zhuhai's Hengqin district will be forged into three key platforms to help upgrade Guangdong's economic structure and turn the major Pearl River Delta cities into an internationally competitive city cluster.

Ding Li , a regional planning expert with the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, said Nansha's new positioning could help transform Guangzhou.

However, he said the ambitious national strategy for new development zones could only be achieved if the authorities overcame internal problems.

"If the government fails to tackle problems such as corruption and limiting government power, then these three development zones will not stand any chance of meeting the ambitious goals," Ding said.

Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences researcher Peng Peng said it was a significant move that would lift Nansha's status. "From now on, every urban planning strategy, including transportation, basic infrastructure, population and education, for Nansha will have a much more important role," Peng said.

He said the plan was backed by the central government, and Nansha could develop into a logistics hub and outsourcing centre for technology products by working closely with Hong Kong.

In 2005, the authorities announced a plan to promote Nansha's position, saying that an area of 527 square kilometres, including Guangzhou's only sea port, had been placed directly under the municipal government. Initially, it was planned that Nansha would develop into a manufacturing base for heavy industries such as steel, iron, car manufacturing and petrochemicals, with harbour facilities to match.

But it lost out on the biggest foreign-investment project on the mainland at the time - a refinery capable of producing 15 million tonnes of oil and 800,000 tonnes of ethylene a year - after strong opposition from Hong Kong over its potentially disastrous impact on the regional environment.

It suffered another blow when Guangdong Iron and Steel Group opted to build a national manufacturing hub elsewhere.

hkskyline

March 25th, 2011, 04:16 AM

Designs that make impossible possible
17 March 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7706.jpg

The first woman recipient of the Pritzker, Zaha Hadid, has always pushed the boundaries of architecture with her bold works that draw inspiration from a very Chinese concept - harmony. Yu Tianyu reports.

British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid has always defied the critics. Her unconventional designs invariably get the skeptics wondering whether they will ever see the light of day, only to be proven wrong.

Hadid's first Chinese project, the Guangzhou Opera House, with its "twin boulder" design, bears her signature style.

Standing on the banks of the Pearl River, the structure that cost 1.38 billion yuan ($202 million) and took five years to complete, was unveiled in May, 2010.

The Pritzker Prize-winning architect - the first woman to be honored with this "Nobel Prize in architecture" - says, "The Guangzhou Opera House project is a landmark of my architectural career, while my experiences in China since the 1980s have also been seminal to my art creation."

Hadid's first trip to China happened three decades ago when the country had just started opening its doors to the outside world.

"China in the 1980s and now are just two different worlds. At that time, the most striking thing was its uniformity - everyone wore a Mao suit. There were very few cars on the street and new buildings were almost all the same," she recalls.

But even then what struck her was the many parks and gardens dotting the nation, and their harmonious integration of the many elements of nature.

Referring to the disappearance of much of traditional Chinese culture in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, she says: "It happens everywhere, when a historical city is being transformed as a world metropolis, but you need to find a balance."

This balance can be achieved by using traditional ideas or construction materials in new buildings, says the architect with a formidable body of work to her credit.

But it shouldn't look imposed, the trick is to find a harmony, she adds.

"We can still preserve some original historical sites as memorials or museums while building new ones."

Hadid's China interests include a performing space in Chengdu and another three projects in Beijing and in Shanghai for SOHO China Ltd, a private real-estate developer known for its high-end apartments.

Commenting on her design sketches that provoke mass discussion about their feasibility, she says: "Construction is never easy and (the inclusion of) curves or inclines are always (an exercise in) experimentation."

Following the successful completion of the Birds' Nest and Water Cube, the nation is ready for more creative architecture, she says.

Hadid was born in Iraq in 1950, a time when Modernism stood for glamour and progressive thinking in the Middle East.

She found her calling in life when she was just 11, delighting her parents by designing her own bedroom.

"I experimented with new shapes in my early works after researching new engineering concepts to understand all possible scenarios that a building could cope with," says Hadid, who earned a degree in mathematics, before moving on to study at the Architectural Association in London.

Her early style was all about fragmentation, with straight lines and folds, posing a major challenge to the design's translation into reality.

The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, United States, completed in 2003, and her first commission in the United States, is a prime example of this style with its new spatial concepts and bold, visionary forms with many vertical angles.

Her later works put more emphasis on curves to capture a building's fluidity and its integration into its natural surroundings.

The Guangzhou Opera House is an excellent demonstration of Hadid's quest for this fluidity and integration.

"Many people say my works are too complicated. But it is similar to nature which is also complex," Hadid says. "But there is also order and organization in nature, just like in my works."

Her futuristic style has spawned many copycats.

She says: "This is the best time for vanguard architectural works.

"Architecture is not just about attracting attention or being entertaining; it is about sustainability and a better life."

hkskyline

March 27th, 2011, 02:13 PM

By 敢都得 from a Chinese photography forum (http://photofans.cn/article/showarticle.php?threadyear=2011&articleid=1245&page=1) :

http://photofans.cn/uploads2010/11/userid222650time20101104093202.jpg

Notice the lower buildings to the right of the tower. It's actually a construction site, but nevertheless, the exterior scaffolding has been lit up with different patterns.

Shiruba

March 27th, 2011, 04:38 PM

Notice the lower buildings to the right of the tower. It's actually a construction site, but nevertheless, the exterior scaffolding has been lit up with different patterns.

They did the same on the Guangdong Museum opposite of the river and it is absolutely horrible. I can't even tell what the patterns are supposed to represent, palm trees, sun? Whatever... the building is completeted, and original lightnight was good enough in my opinion. Those extra pattern have been added before the Asian games, they are still there almost 4 months after the end of those. Hope they will be removed shortly.

hkskyline

March 27th, 2011, 05:39 PM

They did the same on the Guangdong Museum opposite of the river and it is absolutely horrible. I can't even tell what the patterns are supposed to represent, palm trees, sun? Whatever... the building is completeted, and original lightnight was good enough in my opinion. Those extra pattern have been added before the Asian games, they are still there almost 4 months after the end of those. Hope they will be removed shortly.

They're completed? Was it recent? When I was there in January, it was still covered up in scaffolding.

Shiruba

March 28th, 2011, 04:08 PM

^^ The museum in Zhujiang New Town is completed, not the two buildings next to the Canton Tower. Sorry if I didn't make it clear enough

Shiruba

April 2nd, 2011, 05:16 AM

Hunter Lane 猎人坊

This project is located on the now destroyed Liede Village in Zhujiang New Town. The part on the north bank is already build, but all houses are empty, south bank still needs to be cleaned after demolition of the houses.

http://www.wondoc.com/jpgfile/201103105654001.jpg

http://shopimg.gz.focus.cn/upload/rs/lease/1102/pic_effect/441157.JPG

deepblue01

April 2nd, 2011, 02:56 PM

Finally, some modern chinese architecture, why can't they build more of these?

hkskyline

April 14th, 2011, 02:58 PM

Women's toilets to get facelift
17 March 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

GUANGZHOU - Women in the city won't feel cramped for space in restrooms for much longer as the authorities have decided to build larger women's toilets.

According to a notice issued by the urban management department, the size of a women's toilet must be at least 1.5 times that of a men's toilet when the city builds new restrooms or renovates old ones in future.

Meanwhile all women's toilets will be equipped with make-up mirrors, tap water, toilet paper and other facilities.

The notice came after many members of the Guangzhou city committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) asked for measures to improve women's toilets during the session of the city-level advisory body in February.

Han Zhipeng, a local CPPCC member, said building larger women's facilities showed the government's care for female residents.

"It benefits both men and women," Han said.

He said he was once embarrassed by not being able to use a men's room at a forum because it had to serve women temporarily because of a shortage of women's facilities.

Su Zequn, executive vice-mayor of Guangzhou, urged the urban management department to study the issue on March 8, International Women's Day.

Su promised to build even more women's toilets in the following months to help solve the problem. He said he has received many complaints from the public on the shortage of women's toilets.

Xu Guilin, an urban management official in charge of toilet construction, said his department has been trying to build larger women's toilets in Guangzhou in recent years.

"Larger women's toilets would certainly help ease the great pressure for women's lavatories," Xu said.

Many local residents, particularly women, have welcomed the notice to build larger women's toilets.

Wang Fangbing, a local white-collar worker, said the notice was a people-oriented move.

"Guangzhou does not have enough women's toilets," she said. "There are often long lines of women waiting to use toilets while men's are relatively vacant in many public places, particularly during peak hour."

The city now has about 800 public toilets and plans to build another 700. But most of the existing ones are the same size for both genders, even though women usually spend more time in the toilet.

According to a recent survey conducted by Guangzhou department of environment sanitation, a woman usually takes more than 2 minutes 10 seconds for a toilet visit, while a man takes about 45 seconds a visit.

hkskyline

April 25th, 2011, 09:06 PM

Zhujiang New Town construction (2010) by 圣公 from a Chinese photography forum (http://img.photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=130&threadyear=2010&threadid=90728&PHPSESSID=7d0c9866e1ac8071250cd898fc318cb0) :

http://img.photofans.cn/uploads2010/10/userid121303time20101026140849.jpg

hkskyline

May 10th, 2011, 05:31 PM

Fired-up foes battle garbage burner plan
2011-04-15 10:00
China Daily

http://bigtu.eastday.com/img/201104/15/61/1605278899493052185.jpg

GUANGZHOU - Residents of the Panyu district of Guangdong province's capital city are taking their fight against a proposed garbage incinerator onto the Internet.

Workers pack trash at a garbage transfer station in the town of Shawan in Guangzhou's Panyu district on Tuesday. The district government listed Shawan on Tuesday as a possible location for a garbage incinerator.

The residents are calling on opponents of the planned project to register their objections online after the local government announced on Tuesday that five venues within the Guangzhou district were being considered for the controversial burner.

The authorities have promised that the facility will meet the State's environmental protection requirements but many residents have said they are still worried it will pollute their environment and harm their health.

"Burning garbage will generate dioxins, which will certainly affect our health and even cause cancer," said a resident surnamed Hong from Panyu's Shawan town, which is one of the five possible locations.

Li Guangqi from Riverside Garden, a residential community near one of the possible locations, said people living there should resoundingly oppose it.

"I hope all the residents in my community will join hands and vote online in opposition to this project ending up near our homes," Li said.

Residents in other communities in each of the five proposed areas have also been mobilizing supporters and publishing notes on online forums that urge their neighbors to actively vote against local construction.

Panyu district government announced on Tuesday that the five potential construction sites are slated for the district's towns of Dashi, Shawan, Dongchong, Lanhe and Dagang.

The local government said that a site will be selected from the shortlist of five locations based on netizens' online votes and experts' appraisals and advised that construction will start in the second half of the year. The project is scheduled to be completed and start operation in 2014.

At present, more than 2,300 tons of household waste is produced every day in Panyu but the district is only geared up to dispose of 1,700 tons.

In 2009, Guangzhou city government planned to build a garbage incinerator in Panyu but it ended up shelving that project because of strong objections from residents.

The project has also sparked controversy among environmental experts.

Zhao Zhangyuan, a researcher from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, said incineration can certainly cause pollution.

"Burning garbage produces many poisonous gases, even when advanced technology and equipment is used," Zhao was quoted by local media as saying.

Zhao, a prominent figure in the fight against burning garbage in China, disputed claims that garbage incinerators are safe if they are built more than 1.5 kilometers away from homes.

But Xu Haiyun, chief engineer with the China Urban Construction Design and Research Institute, said garbage incinerators will not harm people's health because they will only discharge gases strictly in line with the State's standards.

"A garbage incinerator was built in the downtown area in Bonn, Germany, and similar facilities have been constructed near homes in Japan," Xu said.

Guangzhou is currently dealing with more than 12,000 tons of household waste every day. Most of it is either burned, buried or composted.

Pansori

May 18th, 2011, 01:08 AM

Guys, can anyone tell me what is being built here? The site looks massive and it seems busy and I even got in and wandered around (noone seemed to mind) when exploring Guangzhou. The thing is it's virtually impossible to find out info on some projects or even completed buildings in Chinese cities
http://i.imgur.com/O5EPQ.jpg (http://imgur.com/O5EPQ)

Munwon

May 18th, 2011, 01:31 AM

Kingold Tower 227 meters, 47 floors

Pansori

May 18th, 2011, 02:44 AM

Thanks. Not one of "the" grand projects but sems quite nice.

Shiruba

May 18th, 2011, 10:08 AM

the spliff fairy

May 18th, 2011, 03:01 PM

^pics please

Shiruba

May 18th, 2011, 08:55 PM

^pics please

pics are available on the main thread here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=78010828#post78010828)

Pansori

May 19th, 2011, 01:22 AM

It is much more than just "quite nice" imo. They have renderings hanging on the walls around the site, and I have to say this is my favorite project under construction in the entire CBD, with the Pearl River Tower. Height is not that impressive, but design is absolutely awesome.

Admittedly Guangzhou is spoiling us with magnificent architecture. I agree that height is not everything... I saw that magnificient W Hotel building... to be honest I was more impressed by it than perhaps most taller skyscraper that I saw around it. Guangzhou is surely boosting its portfolio of top-notch contemporary architecture.

Pansori

May 22nd, 2011, 09:39 PM

Does anyone know what project is this in Tianhe Road?
http://i.imgur.com/b0nfb.jpg (http://imgur.com/b0nfb)

Munwon

May 23rd, 2011, 02:32 AM

Taikoo Hui, 211 meters tall. Looks similar to Shanghai IFC...

Pansori

May 24th, 2011, 01:23 AM

Thanks Munwon. I have another question though. Who designed this tower (I only managed to find the name somewhere, and even that through some difficulties)?

http://i.imgur.com/SwuB1.jpg (http://imgur.com/SwuB1)

http://i.imgur.com/Aayax.jpg (http://imgur.com/Aayax)

http://i.imgur.com/K8PUv.jpg (http://imgur.com/K8PUv)

I think it's a very interesting and beautiful building. Perhaps one of my favorites in Guangzhou yet I have never heard anything about it.

hkskyline

June 3rd, 2011, 02:30 PM

Chinese opera house wins international architectural award

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7217.jpg

LONDON, June 2 (Xinhua) -- A landmark opera house in China has won a top international award from Britain's leading architectural organization for the excellence of its design.

The new Guangzhou Opera House, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, won as the best cultural building at the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Awards.

A spokesman for the RIBA said that the award was in recognition of the opera house's outstanding excellence.

The building was designed by one of the world's most cutting edge architects -- Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid, whose team of architects is based in London.

Project architect Simon Yu, Scottish-born and of Chinese heritage, described how long the process took.

"The project was launched through a competition run by the Guangzhou Municipal Government back in 2002. There were a total of nine competitors invited to compete and bid for the opera house project and we had won that project as a result."

Construction of the ground-breaking design began in 2005 and took five years. It opened, to immediate acclaim, in 2010 with a production of a Western opera with a Chinese setting, Puccini's "Turandot."

The opera hall is suitable for performances of Chinese opera, as well as opera from the Western tradition.

The opera house looks very 21st century, like two pebbles washed up on the shore of the Pearl River, which runs through Guangzhou. The Guangzhou Municipal government wanted the building to become a cultural landmark and the architects involved in the project think they have achieved that.

"I think they were looking for a cultural landmark to play a key leading cultural role within the new masterplan that they had envisioned for the city," Yu said.

Yu described the opera house as a building that is very open to the public.

"This building is an opera house seen as a civic building, a civic landmark," Yu said, "so the building itself is unusual in the sense that we took a strategy which, like most of our projects from Zaha Hadid Architects, plays a huge civic role."

The building has been hailed by leading international architectural experts as perhaps one of the world's most spectacular opera houses.

British writer Jonathan Glancey described the building's interior as a "wonder" that certainly makes an impact.

"It can be admired from all around it," Glancey said. "It gives a sort of different view, a different interpretation from every angle."

Þróndeimr

June 28th, 2011, 07:26 PM

Pazhou Masterplan
Pazhou Masterplan / Goettsch Partners on ArchDaily (http://www.archdaily.com/145715/pazhou-masterplan-goettsch-partners/)

A master plan by Goettsch Partners (GP) has been selected as the winning scheme in the design competition for a prominent site in the new
Pazhou district in Guangzhou, China. The Pazhou Masterplan will consist of three urban parcels that form a triangular site, which is planned for
seven buildings totaling 428,000 square meters. The client and developer is Poly Real Estate (Group) Co., Ltd., China’s leading state-owned real
estate company.

The winning master plan establishes a framework for the three-parcel site as a vibrant and iconic commercial destination that merges the new
riverfront with the larger urban fabric. A nautilus-like spiral defines the organizing concept for the complex, with its physical center providing a
direct visual link to the city’s historic pagoda. The centerpiece of the development is a large public piazza, which helps unify the three urban
parcels while clearly segregating pedestrian and vehicular activity. Sustainable design initiatives start with a series of elevated bridges that
provide unobstructed breezeways and shade for the ground level. These bridges also house indoor social spaces linking the towers and are
topped with habitable garden spaces that minimize the urban heat-island effect.

A landmark tower at the northeast corner of the site is positioned for maximum visibility and presence, creating a presence in the skyline. The
six other buildings encircle the piazza and are designed with podium-level retail and dining venues that activate the public spaces. Sky bridges
between buildings define the perimeter of the piazza and link the complex, while maximizing views to the riverfront and adjacent canal. These
elevated structures also form gateways that lend an overall permeability to the complex.

In the piazza, a terraced court rises from the site’s lower-level pedestrian access, passing beneath the development’s main connecting
roadway. Lined with retail and restaurants, this court features a series of distinct landscaped amenities and terminates at a jewel-like
exhibition facility, intended to be an educational and cultural venue. This entire network of pedestrian pathways also has a direct link to the
area’s subway lines, providing convenient and intuitive access to the development.

The three urban plots each includes a mix of commercial functions. Parcel 4 features the landmark office and hotel tower, as well as a
separate serviced apartment tower; the two are organized in a semicircular arrangement fronting the main piazza. Parcel 5 comprises of three
office towers triangulated on the development’s southernmost portion and configured around a secondary public plaza. Parcel 10 includes an
office tower and a hotel, aligned along the adjacent canal. While each building will have its own unique identity, collectively, the buildings will
form an ascending spiral, defining a singular urban gesture for the complex.

View the renderings in high resolution (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=80472310#post80472310)

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/727/pazhoumasterplan4x1000.jpg
Illustration by Goettsch Partners (http://www.gpchicago.com/users/folder.asp)

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8201/pazhoumasterplan2x1000.jpg
Illustration by Goettsch Partners (http://www.gpchicago.com/users/folder.asp)

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/451/pazhoumasterplan1x1000.jpg
Illustration by Goettsch Partners (http://www.gpchicago.com/users/folder.asp)

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/3246/pazhoumasterplan3x1000.jpg
Illustration by Goettsch Partners (http://www.gpchicago.com/users/folder.asp)

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8085/pazhoumasterplan6x1000.jpg
Illustration by Goettsch Partners (http://www.gpchicago.com/users/folder.asp)

http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/4762/pazhoumasterplan5x1000.jpg
Illustration by Goettsch Partners (http://www.gpchicago.com/users/folder.asp)

hkskyline

July 17th, 2011, 05:51 PM

Guangzhou Opera House falling apart
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8620759/Guangzhou-Opera-House-falling-apart.html
Jul 08

But just a year after the south China opera house opened to the public, large cracks have appeared in the walls and ceilings, glass panels have fallen from its windows, and rain has seeped relentlessly into the building.

The opera house, which also has no resident opera company, cost more than £130 million to build over five years and has been praised as a triumph for its architect, the Iraq-born Zaha Hadid.

However, in another example of China’s high-speed but often slapdash approach to major building projects, many of the 75,000 granite slabs that join to form the fluid lines of the building’s exterior were so shoddily made that they are already being replaced.

The failings have come as a huge embarrassment to the southern megacity of Guangzhou, population 14 million. Planners had hoped the opera house would transform a bland new business district at the outer edge of the city into a cultural destination.

The local Southern Metropolis newspaper quoted experts saying that it was “beyond understanding” that panels should be falling off the walls and ceiling.

But Yu Huiyao, the deputy manager of the team at the Guangzhou Construction group which took on the project, said it had been extremely difficult to fulfil Ms Hadid’s extraordinary vision.

“The problems with the quality of the building are not because of the design of the building, but because we did not take the complexity of the design into consideration before we started work,” he said. He added that no construction company or architect could honestly claim to deliver an entirely blemish-free project without gaming their quality control.

The local government, meanwhile, denied there were any problems at the opera house. Following a full investigation, it concluded that the building had ticked every box. “There are no quality problems caused by the rush of meeting the building’s deadline, nor has it been jerry-built out of inferior materials”. And, the local government underlined, despite the claims of observers, “no signs of corruption have been detected so far”.

Instead, the problems had been caused by Guangzhou’s intensely humid climate, according to the government, and that the cracks were due to “normal shrinkage”.

Ms Hadid beat competition from the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and the Austrian collective Coop Himmelb(l)au to win the project in 2002 with her design that evokes the smoothing of rocks in the nearby Pearl River and houses both a 1,800-seat auditorium and a smaller 400-seat hall. It was cited by the fashion designer Vivienne Tam as the source of inspiration for her Autumn collection in 2010.

He Xuan, a spokesman for the opera house, said she could not comment on the construction of the building, or on why the building does not have a resident opera company. She added, however, that ticket prices to the opera house were high because it does not receive any subsidies from the government.

The rapid construction schedules of many Chinese buildings, coupled with rampant corruption and the expectation that they will only stand for an average of 25 years before being torn down and rebuilt, has repeatedly caused concerns about building standards.

In July 2009, a 13-floor tower fell on its side because of its shallow foundations in Shanghai.

A spokesman for Ms Hadid's London studio confirmed the opera house had suffered problems. "Our client and contractor have been extremely supportive since the inception of this project, which has been realised with dedication and diligence," he said. "There were a few superficial issues that, in accordance with our client, are currently being addressed."

Pansori

July 17th, 2011, 05:55 PM

^^
What a title. I can't believe that Telegraph has nothing better to write about than about a few granite plates falling off from some building somewhere... this is epic. Better than The Sun. :D

hkskyline

July 17th, 2011, 05:57 PM

Having visited the opera house a few times in the past year, I was quite amazed how shoddy the construction was. Hence, I'm not at all surprised with what has been reported.

Pansori

July 17th, 2011, 06:08 PM

Interesting because I visited it this year too and haven't noticed anything you have mentioned.

hkskyline

July 17th, 2011, 06:16 PM

I looked at the exterior tiles very carefully and there were wide gaps between tiles, which would explain the leaks. Rain water could easily permeate the surface.

http://www.globalphotos.org/guangzhou/20110101/IMG_7600.jpg

Downstairs from the main entrance (to street level), I saw poorly-finished bare concrete - it would not age well. This level is typically not frequented by tourists as it is dark and not well-connected with the park and waterfront. People tend to reach the opera house via the stairs or ramps to the upper level entrance.

The glass themselves were still full of construction dirt and scratched.

Pansori

July 17th, 2011, 06:27 PM

Granite tiles are not an isolation material from water therefore that certainly does not explain anything ralated to leaks.

hkskyline

July 17th, 2011, 06:39 PM

When the tiles are not fitted together properly, it increases the likelihood of leaks inside. The curved structure also helps water pool and enter via these cracks. I hardly think the exterior finishing could be made haphazardly with the excuse of a better waterproofing material inside - not in Guangzhou's rainy summers.

lianli

September 30th, 2011, 02:16 PM

Viewing Platform Opens on Guangzhou TV Tower

Sep 30, 2011 eChinacities.com

The viewing platform on the Canton Tower (Guangzhou TV Tower) finally opened to visitors on September 29th. The 488m-high platform is atop Guangzhou’s tallest structure and can hold 30 people at a time. Tickets cost 130 RMB per person. The French Restaurant “Lutece” on the 105th floor and the Mediterranean Buffet “Twist” on the 106th floor are also now open.

http://www.echinacities.com/userfiles/2011-Year/9-Month/30-Day/guangzhou2-.jpg

http://www.echinacities.com/guangzhou/city-in-pulse/viewing-platform-opens-on-guangzhou-tv-tower.html

hkskyline

October 11th, 2011, 11:54 AM

Heated opposition feared for incinerator plan
Updated: 2011-09-17 09:09
China Daily

SHENZHEN, Guangdong - The government of the special economic zone is having trouble finding a location for the construction of a gigantic garbage incinerator.

Lu Ruifeng, executive deputy mayor of Shenzhen, said the city plans to build the world's largest garbage incinerator, with a designed capacity to handle more than 5,000 tons of garbage a day.

"But it is really a headache to choose the right location for the project," Lu said.

Lu made the remarks while meeting with Chen Xiaochuan, vice-chairwoman of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, who was leading a group of deputies from the province's legislative body to inspect the city's environmental protection work early this week.

Although Lu did not reveal what the problems were, insiders said the city government worried the project could meet opposition from people living near any chosen location.

In Guangzhou, about 100 kilometers away from Shenzhen, the city government had to postpone construction of a similar project in its Panyu district last year because of residents' strong opposition.

After the Guangzhou government chose a site in the Panyu district to build its garbage incinerator in late 2009, the overwhelming majority of nearby residents signed a petition to oppose the project. They were worried it would pollute the environment and harm their health.

As a result, the Guangdong provincial government had to make concession and announced it would postpone construction.

The Guangzhou garbage incinerator project had also stirred controversy among environmental experts and scholars.

Zhao Zhangyuan, a retired researcher for the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, said incineration will cause pollution.

"Burning garbage produces many poisonous gases, even when advanced technology and equipment are used," said Zhao, who strongly opposed construction of the project.

Guangzhou authorities are now looking for a different site to build their garbage incinerator.

But Xu Haiyun, chief engineer with the China Urban Construction Design and Research Institute, said garbage incinerators will not pose health risks because the gases discharged would be strictly in line with the country's standards.

"There is a garbage incinerator in downtown Bonn, Germany, and similar facilities have been constructed in Japan," Xu said.

Lu Ruifeng promised Shenzhen's garbage incinerator would use the world's most advanced technologies, equipment and management system and uphold the strictest discharge standards to avoid polluting the environment.

"Shenzhen, a densely populated city that lacks land resources, will treat its waste mainly through burning in the future, in addition to burying and composting," Lu said.

According to Lu, Shenzhen's treatment rate of consumer waste will exceed 80 percent in 2015.

In addition, a number of garbage treatment facilities will be built or expanded in the coming years.

Yin Qingwei, a Shenzhen white-collar worker, said the city needs to build a big garbage incinerator to deal with its growing garbage problem.

"But the government should carefully consider the public opinion and seek suggestions from residents to choose the right location," he said.

Construction should not start before the majority of residents have reached an agreement with the government, he added.

hkskyline

November 3rd, 2011, 04:53 PM

China’s Guangzhou Cancels Its Second Land Auction in Two Weeks
Bloomberg
Nov 2, 2011 5:22 PM GMT+0800

The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou canceled the auction of some land plots yesterday, the second time in two weeks the capital of Guangdong province has called off such sales.

Local authorities canceled the auction for 12 of the 18 plots of land on offer, the Guangzhou Municipal Land Resources and Housing Administrative Bureau said on its website, without giving a reason for the terminations. The city also canceled the auction of three plots on Oct. 22, according to the website.

Premier Wen Jiabao has sought to rein in the nation’s property market on concerns an asset bubble in real estate may derail economic growth and that rising prices may spur social unrest as fewer citizens are able to afford homes. That effort has included limits on lending and financing for developers, with Wen saying Oct. 29 that measure to curb the property market would be “firmly” maintained.

“Developers’ demand for land is not high in general, mainly because of the credit squeeze,” said Danny Bao, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets. “It’s the same around the country, and probably won’t be better next year,” he said.

The city of Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei province, postponed the auction of nine plots of land twice last month, the official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. Local authorities sold 10 other plots of land at the base bidding price, according to the report.

The credit outlook for Chinese developers will be “increasingly severe” amid government curbs, Standard & Poor’s said in a report on Sept. 27. The government this year increased down-payment requirements and mortgage rates on some homes and imposed housing purchase restrictions in about 40 cities.

China’s home prices fell for a second month in October, according to SouFun Holdings Ltd., owner of the nation’s biggest real estate website. They fell 0.23 percent in October from a month earlier after a decline of 0.03 percent in September, the company said yesterday.

Ewan117

November 10th, 2011, 12:47 AM

This reminds me of something in Atlanta (Symphony Tower)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/z0rg/1157723174_jgKkiqftF2BF.jpg

Symphony Tower>:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/1_Symphony_Tower.jpg

Sorry for the huge image that is the best one I could find.

Sorry guys, this post was long time ago, just wondering. One of the towers is built already in Zhu Jiang right? Is it the tall one or shorter one? Does it mean that another tower will be built in that area next to East Tower or is this a completely different project?

Minsk

November 18th, 2011, 05:31 PM

Benoy designs 'urban park' retail mall for Guangzhou

Set in Guangzhou's central axis at the heart of the city's new CBD, this will be China's first ‘urban park' retail mall. With verdant, undulating landscaping, the 110,000 sq m retail scheme will introduce regional and international visitors to a truly unique shopping, entertainment, dining and lifestyle concept.

The vision is to create a destination where business and community mix together in an environment rich in character and distinct to Guangzhou. Hong Cheng Plaza will restore the balance of the new CBD by delivering both aesthetic harmony with the lush green of the park, and commercial value. Benoy's design will also introduce a considered and complete new public transport interchange, and highly sustainable technology.

Inspired by the major central parks around the world and the Chinese Carp Fish - Hong Cheng Plaza will create a tranquil urban oasis in the heart of the thriving metropolis in the south of China. The design aims to create a sustainable and iconic landmark in Guangzhou to support the city's strategy to be recognised as a world-leading destination and host for international events.

The City Government of Guangzhou felt that this site forms an integral part of the wider city - socially, spatially and economically. Guangzhou's strategic location at the heart of Guangdong province inevitably presents enormous opportunities. Both innovative and memorable, Benoy believes the scheme has a cultural identity, and distinct buildings become landmarks.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18108_1_Main_large.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18108_2_1.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18108_3_2.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18108_4_3.jpg

Ewan117

November 19th, 2011, 02:31 AM

LOl, there goes the small appartments. I really hope these will be affordable shops. Stop with all the stupid brands. More home grown brands and more affordable shopping will make the shopping experience more enjoyable

Þróndeimr

November 22nd, 2011, 07:53 PM

Guangfa Securities Headquarters
By Jaeger and Partner Architects, Guangzhou - China. On ArchDaily (http://www.archdaily.com/185832/guangfa-securities-headquarters-jaeger-and-partner-architects/).

The Guangfa Securities Headquarter, designed by Jaeger and Partner Architects, is a 308-meter tall class-A high-rise office building that will serve
as the new landmark for the eastern portion of Guangzhou’s new CBD. Its orientation is rotated slightly from the dominating orthogonal grid of the
surrounding area to mark the site as a transformational pivot point of the urban fabric.

The gentle rotation of the tower, about 13 degrees, not only captures the view of the adjacent city park for an increased number of users, it
foremost expresses its obelisk-like, sculptural character signifying the building’s role as a vertical terminus to Guangzhou’s skyline. As a
counterpoint to the linear arrangement of the CBD, it embraces the expansive park within a suspenseful relationship and enhances its connection
to the heart of the city.

The Guangfa Headquarter Tower is currently going through the schematic design approval process and is scheduled to begin construction in spring
2012.

Read the rest of the article on ArchDaily (http://www.archdaily.com/185832/guangfa-securities-headquarters-jaeger-and-partner-architects).

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/3640/guangfasecuritiesheadqu.jpg

All renderings and illustrations are by Jaeger and Partner Architects (http://www.jaegerandpartner.com/).

Pansori

November 22nd, 2011, 09:18 PM

^^
Ok, I know it's obvious and someone has to ask this first... why does the design look so much like the HK ICC?

Þróndeimr

November 24th, 2011, 07:35 AM

^^ Because Jaeger and Partner visited Hong Kong and got inspired maybe? ;) The design is nice, but could certainly have been a bit more creative and not looking like a ICC-ripoff.

hkskyline

November 29th, 2011, 04:36 PM

Zhujiang New Town
By 飞翔之心 from a Chinese photography forum (http://www.photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=88&threadyear=2011&threadid=68993) :

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/06/userid169308time20110607183055.jpg

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/06/userid169308time20110607183143.jpg

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/06/userid169308time20110607183644.jpg

Pansori

November 29th, 2011, 07:40 PM

^^
Oh wow, these are amazing! Imagine this with CTF Guangzhou completed. :eek:

Eric Offereins

December 1st, 2011, 10:44 PM

Wow, amazing storm pictures.

Shiruba

December 4th, 2011, 02:49 AM

Here are some random projects that haven't been posted here yet.

A project under preparation in Liede 猎德, not sure if below render is the final one or not.

Liede Hotel, 220m, site under preparation (source) (http://top.gaoloumi.com/buildinginfo.php?id=1046)
http://top.gaoloumi.com/indexpic/20100921/2010092116045556.jpg

http://top.gaoloumi.com/indexpic/20100921/2010092116045608.jpg

Current status:
http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111030/11103010595a7622612cde0a4e.jpg

Here another project already under construction (about to top out) It is located on the left of the river, right next to the previous project mentionned above.

http://cache.house.sina.com.cn/datahouse/02/6a/06723397c07a1a8c26d59109522b60a2_750X750.jpg

http://cache.house.sina.com.cn/datahouse/e1/7f/e79277194dc3a0d7db20e76f3dfb25f1_750X750.jpg

http://cache.house.sina.com.cn/datahouse/7e/28/72fcbe46cd6e2f7985b9fb5ca106058e_750X750.jpg

And further away in Pazhou, another large plot has been cleared and contruction has started. Project is built by Poly.

http://imgs.soufun.com/house/2011_03/16/gz/1300260165965_000.jpg
http://imgs.soufun.com/house/2010_07/02/gz/1278060302540_000.jpg
http://imgs.soufun.com/news/2010_09/17/news/1284714992527_000.jpg

Project's model

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20111104/Img324577556.jpg

Minsk

December 7th, 2011, 06:54 PM

Jaeger and Partner embrace urban Guangzhou for their expansive headquarter designs, whilst keeping an eye on efficiency

The Guangfa Securities Headquarter, a 308m tall, class-A, high-rise office building, will serve as the new landmark for the eastern portion of Guangzhou’s new CBD. Its orientation is rotated slightly from the dominating orthogonal grid of the surrounding area, to mark the site as a transformational pivot point of the urban fabric and expresses the building’s obelisk-like, sculptural character. As a counterpoint to the linear order of the CBD, it embraces the expansive park within a suspenseful relationship and enhances its connection to the heart of the city. A 24m tall podium building, complementing the tower, adds human scale to the plaza and balances the overall composition of volumes. The podium building’s widely cantilevering shape acts as a gate, making a visual connection to the park.

The landscape design includes an expansive pool which extends the tower’s shape to appear continuing under the surface, while providing a cool micro climate for the plaza. The tower is divided horizontally into two zones. The upper part accommodates the Headquarter offices of Guangfa Securities, while the lower portion offers tenant space for companies in the financial industry. The tower core employs a cross corridor which offers a wide variety of layouts for circulation and programme. The headquarter offices are served by a sky lobby, which is conveniently accessible through a sophisticated vertical circulation strategy. This concept ensures a high level of floor plan efficiency as it allows for stacking elevator groups on top of each other in the same shafts, thus reducing the size of the core significantly.

The two vertical zones are expressed by repeating the motif of a tapering base at the particular bottom of each portion. In the upper part, the recess appears to be carved out behind a transparent skin, generating the impression of a building inside the building. The façade’s overall appearance gives the impression of a membrane being tautly stretched between the slender corner columns. In an expressive sensual manner, particular parts of the building are pronounced by sculptural forms emerging from the fins. The unitised façade system combines Low-E insulated glazing, a vertical sun shading system, solar active layers covering the spandrels as well as parts of the glazing and facilitates decentralised natural ventilation. The Guangfa Headquarter Tower is currently going through the schematic design approval process and is scheduled to begin construction in spring 2012.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18247_1_Guangfa.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18247_3_02.Perspective4.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18247_4_03.Perspective3.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18247_6_05.Perspective2.jpg

Minsk

February 15th, 2012, 11:03 PM

'Lucky' coin-inspired structure on Pearl River

Construction is pushing on with rapid pace at a significant waterside scheme on the Pearl River, Guangzhou, designed by Italian architect Joseph di Pasquale for the Guangdong Plastics Exchange. The 33-storey commercial facility has been inspired by the jade Bi Disks synonymous with rank and moral excellence throughout Chinese history and chief engineer on the project, Wang Zhanshan, has detailed: “It’s a real fusion of Western and Chinese design. The distinctive feature of the building is that it is shaped like an old Chinese jade or a waterwheel and also has good feng shui for attracting fortune. A golden coin, jade or waterwheel alongside the river means luck to Cantonese: Water brings money.”

The use of jade Bi Disks dates back to the Neolithic period, with the circular items becoming gradually more ornate as time progressed. Images of deities or intricately patterned engravings grace the majority of Bi Disks which were given as gifts to the elite and often buried with them. The symbolism ingrained in this tradition has been carried through to modern times, with the reverse of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Medals reminiscent of a Bi Disk. Once completed, the building will be used as a warehouse, public information space and research centre.

Joseph di Pasquale’s practice, AM Progetti, may have taken inspiration from a deep-rooted Chinese tradition, but as their final concept grows closer to realisation, so the cloud of critique that surrounds it has blackened. Shenzhen Daily ran a piece last week entitled ‘Thumbs down for “lucky” office in GZ’ which criticised the 1bn Yuan scheme, quoting a disappointed internet reviewer who drew parallels between the GDPE Landmark Building and ‘the ugly Fangyuan Building in Shenyang’. The Telegraph also questioned the design, suggesting that locals resent the effect that the structure could have on their skyline, again drawing links to the Fangyuan Building.

When completed - allegedly by the end of 2012 - the cylindrical building will reach 138m in height with a 47m-diameter hole in the centre. The brief provided to AM Progetti demanded a ‘landmark’ building that would stay in the hearts and minds of visitors to the Pearl River whilst creating a strong link between the building and town through the integration of local traditions. As a result of detailed research and consideration, the architects decided to incorporate ‘the traditions of the Nanyue King we visited in the Museum of Nanyue King Tomb Treasures in Guangzhou’. They continue: “We consider the shape of the double jade disk as the strongest shape inspiration and the perfect starting point for the GDPE Landmark Building design.” The School of Architecture of South China University of Technology also collaborated on the design.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18921_1_o11.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18921_2_spazio%20centrale.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18921_3_o22.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18921_4_o4.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=18921

hkskyline

February 17th, 2012, 08:53 PM

^ Looks like a twin from Abu Dhabi!

hkskyline

February 28th, 2012, 06:50 PM

海珠橋封閉待修廣州大塞車
http://paper.wenweipo.com
2012-02-28

http://image.wenweipo.com/2012/02/28/ch0228b3.jpg

Brief synopsis : Guangzhou's Haizhu Bridge will close for renovations starting on the 27th. It is the most important bridge that crosses the Pearl River in the city.

　香港文匯報訊（記者敖敏輝廣州報道）在周末試封閉兩天後，年近「八旬」的廣州第一橋海珠橋，27日正式封閉，迎接明日開始的大修。由於海珠橋是連接珠江兩岸最重要的過江樞紐，大橋的封閉令兩岸車輛及行人往來極為不便，多數路段在高峰時期出現了長距離擁堵的現象。據悉，由於私家車及公交行車不得不繞行，廣州城西起芳村隧道，東至廣州大道甚至華南快速都出現不同程度的交通擁堵，主城區一半以上的交通路段受影響。而連接珠江兩岸的廣州地鐵二號線，人流暴增，受此影響，不少上班族遲到。

　廣州地鐵二號線連接越秀區和海珠區，並輻射番禺和荔灣區，是重要的跨江通道。早上7時15分，記者從昌崗站搭乘地鐵趕往海珠廣場，與往日相比，人流高峰明顯提前，且旅客量大大增加。據地鐵工作人員介紹，由於海珠橋封閉，選擇搭乘地鐵上班的市民明顯多於往日。市民王小姐在昌崗站候車，等了3趟才能上車。記者前往海珠廣場，亦因人流過多，等候10多分鐘才得以上車。

人民橋車龍延綿數公里

　7時40分，記者在海珠橋上看到，南北橋頭都已封閉，主幹道已無車輛通行，而人行道及自行車道仍有大量市民通過。海珠橋無法通行，海珠橋兩端的濱江路及沿江中路，車流量大增，行車十分緩慢。廣州解放橋是距離海珠橋最近的一座過江橋樑，海珠橋封閉，南往北方向江南大道、南華東路、寶崗大道及其西邊的來車，都湧到了解放橋上橋位，南往北方向車流非常緩慢。現場多位交警在維持秩序，但效果並不明顯。

　人民橋是越秀區與海珠區靠西部的跨江大橋，8時左右，南往北方向已經排起了長長的車龍，龍尾一直排到數公里外的洪德路。由於人民橋南往北方向一向存在「雙車道切換成單車道」的交通瓶頸，當日塞車情況更為嚴重。受此影響，洪德路至鳳凰新村路段昌崗立交落橋處行車十分緩慢。

過廣州大橋多花20分鐘

　海珠橋東邊的江灣橋，也是海珠區前往越秀、天河的要道。記者在8時30分看到，大橋仍處於堵塞狀態，由於停留時間長，不少趕著上班的人不停按喇叭。

　據悉，海珠橋封閉後，大橋附近22條公交線路不得不繞行其他橋樑及地段，加劇了周邊交通擁堵程度。由於線路更改，公交公司不得不派員指引市民乘車。儘管如此，仍有大量市民出行時間增加，更有不少人因此上班遲到。而廣州輪渡公司也加大過江渡輪的頻率。但由於過江後仍需接駁其他交通工具，所以沒有多少市民改坐輪渡。

　記者獲悉，不僅海珠橋周邊，由於車輛分流，廣州主城區西部進城主要通道的芳村隧道已出現擁堵的現象。「我平日駕車過廣州大橋，本已擁堵，今天海珠橋封閉了，過橋的時間比平時多了20多分鐘。」私家車主郝先生告訴記者。

hkskyline

February 28th, 2012, 06:53 PM

廣州海珠橋明起
封閉大修年半
2012年02月26日 (08:30 pm)
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/common/header/2009/images/atnextheader_logo_realtimenews.gif

Synopsis : Haizhu Bridge was built in 1933 and was China's first steel bridge. The renovation works will take a year and a half. The entire bridge will be closed to traffic, affecting 22 bus routes. But the pedestrian passages on both sides of the bridge will remain open.

Many Guangzhou residents have flocked to take photos of the bridge following news of the renovation closure.

已有79年歷史的廣州海珠橋將於明日起正式封閉，進行為期年半的大修工程，期間全橋將禁止行車，22條巴士路線需要改道，但橋的兩邊人路則可正常通行。

海珠橋建於1933年，是中國第一座鋼橋，得知封閉的消息後，不少廣州市民專程到海珠橋拍照留念。

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2009/11/userid238151time20091127052711.jpg

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2009/11/userid238151time20091127055321.jpg

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2009/11/userid238151time20091127061539.jpg

Photos by 寒江笠翁 from a Chinese photography forum (http://www.photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=71&threadyear=2009&threadid=102983).

hkskyline

March 15th, 2012, 09:30 AM

China Trade Hub Guangzhou Booms as New District Rises From Dirt
By Kelvin Wong - Mar 15, 2012 12:01 AM GMT+0800
Bloomberg

Guangzhou, a trading hub for China since the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century, is in the midst of the biggest commercial real estate boom in its history.

Developers including Guangzhou R&F Properties Co. (2777) and Poly Real Estate Group Co. (600048) plan to add more than 1.7 million square meters (18.3 million square feet) of prime office space to the city this year -- enough for about 120,000 workers. Almost 90 percent of the new space will be built in Zhujiang Xincheng, a zone twice the size of the City of London that Guangzhou’s government earmarked as its new central business district almost a decade ago, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc.

“Back in 2004, out there it was all just dirt,” said Adrian Chan, assistant to the chairman at Guangzhou R&F, which has completed five office projects in the area since then, including the 160,000-square-meter, 54-story R&F Center, where the interview took place. “Today, it turns out to be a good winner.”

Guangzhou R&F and its rivals will be seeking to fill the space at a time of slowing economic growth, with the nation’s expansion target for 2012 this month set at 7.5 percent, down from an 8 percent goal in place since 2005. China last week reported its biggest trade deficit in at least 22 years, the weakest January-February factory-production gain since 2009, and retail sales that trailed the median of economist estimates.

The new developments may push the prime office vacancy rate in the city to above 20 percent by 2015, from 12 percent now, according to Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

“With that amount of new supply coming in, I don’t care how fast the absorption rate is, it will pull up vacancy,” said Alvin Lau, managing director for Southern China at CBRE Group Inc. “And if there isn’t enough demand, then rents will fall, though I don’t think there’ll be a crash.”
Opium Trade

Guangzhou, named Canton by Portuguese traders in the 16th century, hosts the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in April every year. In the 19th century, British traders imported opium into China through the city until the Chinese government sought to ban it, triggering the Opium War that resulted in the ceding of Hong Kong.

Guangzhou’s government in 2003 decided to turn the Zhujiang Xincheng district into a financial center rivaling Shanghai and Shenzhen. That was followed two years later by a 200 billion yuan ($32 billion) plan to upgrade the whole city’s infrastructure.

GM, Tesco

While finance firms didn’t respond, export and domestic- industrial companies have. The 6.6 square kilometer-district features the regional headquarters of China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone carrier by users, General Motors Co., the largest foreign automaker in China, and Tesco Plc, the U.K.’s biggest retailer.

“It was never going to work as Guangzhou doesn’t even have a capital market,” said Eric Lam, managing director for Southern China at property adviser Colliers International. “The ones who ended up here are the South China or regional headquarters of companies, not banks. At the end it was the market that directed the district’s positioning.”

Even with the new office supply, Lam said rents in top tier buildings will rise because of “very strong” demand.

Average monthly rent at Zhujiang Xincheng was 279 yuan per square meter in the fourth quarter, compared with 255 yuan a square meter at Tianhe, Guangzhou’s former central business district, New York-based Cushman said. That compares with 507 yuan in Beijing and 414 yuan in Shanghai.

Trading Hub

China will overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest trading nation by 2016 as intra-Asia commerce and rising demand from emerging markets boosts shipments, according to a report from HSBC Holdings Plc last month.

“The government has always wanted to create a hub for trade operators,” said Donald Choi, managing director of Hong Kong-based Nan Fung Development Ltd., which is spending 6 billion yuan building commercial projects in the city. “So everything here, the excellent infrastructure, the policies, are all being backed by the government.”

Zhujiang Xincheng, which means Pearl River New Town in Mandarin, is home to the Guangzhou Opera House, the biggest performing center in Southern China, and the 1,969-foot Canton Tower, an observation tower that was the world’s tallest when it was completed in 2010.

Guangzhou, with a population of more than 12 million, is China’s third-largest city behind Shanghai and Beijing and is the capital of the Guangdong province. Nearby Foshan was identified by the World Health Organization as the probable source of outbreak of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic, or SARS.

Recovery Project

While its economy was recovering from that outbreak, Guangzhou’s government began awarding land in Zhujiang Xincheng to developers including Guangzhou R&F, with the aim of building a financial hub that could replace the city’s existing downtown area of Tianhe.

To encourage investment from developers, Guangzhou, a two- hour train ride north of Hong Kong, went on to spend about 200 billion yuan to build roads and subways in Zhujiang Xincheng. That includes a nine-stop, 4-kilometer long automated people mover similar to the light-rail system in Singapore.

“If some guys say they’re going to put in $10 and ask you to put in only $2, that’s a good bargain,” said Guangzhou R&F’s Chan. “They were drilling all these subways and roads and they ask whether you want to be part of this. And we said OK, though back then it was a pretty big risk to take.”

Zhujiang Xincheng

Investment in real estate in Guangzhou jumped about 40 percent last year, according to estimates by Cushman. Guangzhou’s gross domestic product grew 11 percent in 2011 to 1.24 trillion yuan, ranking it third among all Chinese cities, according to the city government’s website.

Guangzhou heeded central government calls in late 2010 to restrict foreigners from buying homes and offices in the city. It said this month the curbs on foreigners purchasing retail real estate remained in place, according to Zhai Zhongqi, a Centaline Property Agency Ltd. analyst based in the city.

Almost 80 percent of the 2.8 million square meters of prime office space already under construction in Guangzhou is at Zhujiang Xincheng, Cushman said. The district had prime office space of about 1.2 million square meters at the end of 2011, over 50 percent more than the Tianhe district.

“If domestic companies’ expansion continues, rental growth will probably be stable over the next few years,” said Marcos Chan, head of research for Greater Pearl River Delta at Jones Lang, the world’s second-biggest commercial broker by market value. “We’re talking about a market that hasn’t seen anything like this before. So when the new buildings are all in place, we may see a boom like what happening in Beijing last year.”

Beijing’s central business district’s prime office rent surged 73 percent in 2011 to be Asia’s third most-expensive office market after Hong Kong and Tokyo, according to Cushman.

Supply Glut

Government-led commercial districts in some of China’s second-tier cities, including Chengdu and Hangzhou, “may face a market supply glut” because of over-building fueled by developers wanting to diversify from residential development, according to Cushman.

The expectation of growing demand for office space in Zhujiang Xincheng has prompted the government to plan the development of another business district in Guangzhou’s Pazhou, the district where the venue of the Canton Fair is. Companies including Nan Fung are building at least 4.5 million square meters of commercial space there in addition to the 335,000 square meters already there.

“Guangzhou’s market for convention and exhibition is still developing,” said Nan Fung’s Choi. “It’s the center of trading of southern China and we’re very confident in its future.”

The company, one of Hong Kong’s two biggest closely held builders, is investing at least HK$6 billion ($773 million) building a hotel, exhibition venue, and an office building in the district.

“The next five years in Pazhou will be like Zhujiang Xincheng five years ago,” said Colliers’ Lam. “At the moment there’ll still land available, but that’ll change fast.”

ganghui

March 15th, 2012, 11:45 AM

Synopsis : Haizhu Bridge was built in 1933 and was China's first steel bridge.
I dont know who translated this, but the facts are just SO TOTALLY WRONG. The all-steel Waibaidu Bridge in Shanghai was opened in 1908. This was clearly the first steel bridge in China. Shanghai was first.

little universe

March 17th, 2012, 09:00 AM

'Lucky' coin-inspired structure on Pearl River

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18921_1_o11.jpg

^^

That tacky design reminds me of the similar looking one had been built in downtown shenyang as showing in the attached image. :lol:

http://subject.syd.com.cn/contentimg/attachement/jpg/site2/20101109/b8ac6f2789e60e435f0851.jpg

DoubleU

March 20th, 2012, 08:19 AM

10 March by me. We went from Shenzhen to Guangzhou to visit some sites of our projects, including the East Tower, HongCheng and LinHe Cun.

Those are the ones from HongCheng Plaza.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/6995770551_23d5e13b9e_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6995771681_1244cb049b_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6849647878_42bda9422d_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6219/6849648164_ba08893a22_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6033/6849648258_515e6ab754_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6055/6995773335_afd7744915_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6105/6995773569_42fecd04eb_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/6995773695_a3348235d5_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6048/6995774443_2587f77ba3_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6102/6849650240_2b38a45aa1_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6240/6849650360_bfe912c8d9_b.jpg

DoubleU

March 20th, 2012, 08:26 AM

LinHe Cun

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6995785591_c2b190b632_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6120/6995785725_08e5815f23_b.jpg
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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/6995787375_56d778a819_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6849662568_070cd61332_b.jpg
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For more pics just check out this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/journey...7629616958181/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/journeytosoutheast/sets/72157629616958181/)

Johan

March 25th, 2012, 11:08 AM

So do you happen to have any renders or drawings of what thoose buildings are going to look like when they are finished?

DoubleU

March 27th, 2012, 04:15 AM

So do you happen to have any renders or drawings of what thoose buildings are going to look like when they are finished?

You just have to turn one page back to see the renderings of HongCheng Plaza.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=85813750&postcount=417

I am afraid for LinHe Cun haven't seen any renderings or drawings so far.

Minsk

April 1st, 2012, 09:53 PM

China Southern Airport City

http://www.archdaily.com/221718/china-southern-airport-city-woods-bagot/

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Serving Guangzhou, China as a distinctive emblem of China Southern Airlines’ global leadership, the winning proposal by Woods Bagot is a bold reinterpretation of the corporate campus model. A 400-hectare, mixed-use development, the three-precinct master plan integrates business, manufacturing, residential, and cultural amenities within a comprehensive open space network that supports recreational opportunity and bolsters ecological vitality. More images and architects’ description after the break.

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The design establishes a sweeping physical form that unifies the Airport City site—comprising two wing-shaped parcels bisected by a major highway—and presents a legible identity that is visible from arriving and departing planes. Within this landscape, landmark buildings, parks, lakes and other features define a series of programmatic “neighborhoods” that provide a sense of order and wayfinding at the human scale.

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The master plan organizes the neighborhoods into three precincts. Business, cultural, and entertainment uses as well as Southern Airlines University define the central precinct, creating a distinct heart that bridges the highway. Here, a bend in the Liuxi River naturally highlights the project’s centerpiece: an executive complex including offices, a five-star hotel and VIP club overlooking an expansive lake. Manufacturing, operations and research facilities form a second precinct to the northwest while residential and lifestyle neighborhoods compose the third precinct along the riverfront.

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The landscape architectural and ecological concept—designed in close collaboration with Hargreaves Associates and Sherwood Design Engineers—overlays bold sculptural landforms with a series of contemporary urban, academic and residential landscapes. Each landscape is rendered with a unique indigenous flowering tree to further distinguish the Airport City neighborhoods and celebrate the rich Chinese garden palette. The landforms buffer the freeway and enhance views to the riverfront, while restoration zones, including a new freshwater wetlands and necklace of lakes, serve to cleanse stormwater and repair the site ecology.

Richard Marshall, Joint CEO/Director of Urban Design at Woods Bagot: “This has been a tremendously rewarding process bringing together the best talent from our London, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Beijing studios and our partners at Hargreaves Associates and Sherwood Design Engineers. China Southern Airlines’ vision for a new district that embodies its global leadership and supports ongoing innovation afforded an opportunity to really advance our thinking about the connections between economy, ecology and culture. We look forward to our continued collaboration.”