过去十年，许多国际知名建筑师，如扎哈·哈迪德，奥雷舍人，赫尔佐格&德梅隆等，在中国尽情发挥了自己的创造力。他们设计的巨大建筑遍布大江南

中国正在经历巨大的变革，建筑的变化首当其冲。在过去二十年里，随着改革开放，世界级活动接连在中国展开。其中最引人瞩目的当属2008年北京奥运会，这场盛事向世界展现了一个全新的中国。在一系列突破性的体育场馆中，各种各样的竞技项目成功举办。如同每届奥运会一样，漫长的准备周期带来了极大的热情，如果一切顺利，投入的经济和政治成本足以改变一个城市，乃至整个国家。中国邀请了许多国际知名建筑师负责城市里主要场馆的设计建造。

自此，许多结构反重力，外形独特、混合东西方风格的建筑拔地而起。这是否是一场新的建筑革命的开始？《更美的中国》一书将为我们展示过去15年来自中国建成的最令人激动的建筑。

点击这里购买《更美的中国》

“更美的中国”摄影作品：“更美的中国”建筑摄影 / Kris Provoost，“更美的中国”建筑摄影系列第二部 / Kris Provoost，更多关于作者，请至：Kris Provoost on gooood

China has undergone a tremendous evolution wherein architecture has been at the forefront of it all. Over the past 2 decades, as China opened up, a string of world events was hosted in the country. First and foremost, the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing showed a new face to the world. A series of groundbreaking sport venues hosted a succesful Olympic games. As with many Olympics, the games and the years long preperation leading up to it, bring an enormous amount of enthusiasm that combined with economical and political efforts can transform a city (and an entire nation) when done well. As Beijing prepared to show the world its new face, it recruited an interesting set of well known international architects to design and realize key buildings in the city.

Was this the symbolic start of a new architectural revolution with at times gravity-defying structures, unimagineable shapes or new style mixing eastern with western influences? Beautified China offers a look at the most exciting architecture build in the past 15 years or so.

Click HERE to buy Beautified China

Beautified China works published on gooood: “Beautified China”, An Architectural Photography Essay / Kris Provoost, “Beautified China II”, An Architectural Photography Essay / Kris Provoost, more: Kris Provoost on gooood

▼《更美的中国》封面，cover of Beautified China

看向中国
LOOKING AT/IN CHINA

2008年，中国举办了北京奥运会；2010年，世博会在上海举办。短短两年间，世界上所有的目光都聚集在了中国。在建筑媒体的报道中，一栋栋建筑建造完成，然而人们的眼中只有中国。我到中国参加了自己的第一次世博会，如同冒险一般。之后我辗转居住在北京、上海和香港，试图近距离地，更加深入地了解这个国家。过去十年，我作为中国工作的建筑师探索了这个国家，以更好地了解这片土地，以及这里发生的事情可能对世界产生的影响。

当你住在一个城市中，亲眼见证这座城市的变迁，你可以更好地理解不同事物之间的联系。随着时间流逝，建筑的影响力逐渐彰显，而我必须要要在中国抓住这些变化。在《更美的中国》中，我拍摄了中国15座不同城市中的建筑，以我的方式展示自己的这个国家的理解。

As China was hosting the Olympics and 2 years later the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, all eyeballs were pointed at China. Architecture media reported about projects from under construction to completion. However, people were only looking at China. When I ventured out to China for the first time visiting the World Expo and later to live in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, I vowed to look ‘in’ China. Not just from a distance. Being an architect in China for the past 10 years I explored China to better understand the place and the impact it will make on the world, good and less good.

Seeing cities transform over time when living there makes you able to put things in relation to each-other. Architecture has a changing impact over time and I had to be in China to fully capture this. Beautified China is my way of looking deep into China by capturing architecture in 15 different Chinese cities.

▼深圳SBF大楼（点击这里查看更多）
SBF Tower (click HERE to view more)

▼腾讯新总部（点击这里查看更多）
Tencent Corporate Headquarters (click HERE to view more)

标志的作用：城市建筑
THE USE OF ICONS: CITY BUILDING

在媒体的渲染下，中国被描述成了一个建筑师可以不顾文脉、尽情发挥的国家，标志性建筑的意义也被过分夸大了。中国的建筑外形不同寻常，有时甚至无法与“建筑”联系在一起。在这里，建筑被看做是标志：一眼就可以理解，有着独特的体块，并且否定了一般建筑类型的规则。

As China was portrayed in the media as a place where architects get carte blance to build whatever they want without any link to the context, this notion has been very much exaggerated. China is a place where architecture takes on extraordinary shapes, which at times are hard to be associated with ‘buildings’ Architecture is seen as icons: easy to understand in quick glimpse, unique in its massing, and at time defy the rules of its typology.

▼南京正大喜马拉雅中心（点击这里查看更多）
Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center (click HERE to view more)

标志被用于建造新的城市、新的地区以及新的街道。标志成为了一个目的地，好与不好，人们蜂拥而至。通常来讲，标志性建筑是地产开发商常用的手段，以赚取大量经济利益。明星建筑师设计，如扎哈·哈迪德和库哈斯设计的标志性建筑体量相对不大，但是十分昂贵。而开发商可以通过提升建筑周边的地价获利。

中国开发商是利用建筑赚钱的大师。这与建筑爱好者心中“为人类建造”这一最纯粹的建筑功能相去甚远。像是建筑乐园鄂尔多斯，整个城市靠建筑为人所知。而长沙梅溪湖地区则是以一两栋标志性建筑代表了整个新区。为了拍摄《更美的中国》，我亲自去到了这些地区，记录下了这些使城市闻名的建筑。

Icons that are used to build new cities, new districts or new neighbourhoods. Icons become a destination where people flock to, with its consequent advantages and disadvanteges. More often than not this kind of iconic architecture is used by real-estate developers to do what they do best: make money, lots of money. Iconic architecture by the likes of Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas or other ‘starchitects’ can be very expensive to build, however it is only a small investment compared to the potential upside these developers can make by rising housing costs in neigbouring areas.

Chinese developers mastered the trick of using architecture to their advantage. To dismay of the architecture enthusiasts that want architecture to be only used for its purest sense: build for the people. Entire cities have been put on the map by architecture, think about architecture fantasyland Ordos. Or new districts that are build around one or two iconic buildings for example Changsha’s Meixihu area. For Beautified China I have ventured out to these districts to capture the buildings that put these cities on the map.

▼大望京综合开发项目（点击这里查看更多）
Da Wang Jing (click HERE to view more)

标志的作用：市场营销
THE USE OF ICONS: MARKETING

无论是导览册还是在旅行纪录片都会推荐你到了上海一定要去外滩看看。这并不是让人们观赏河岸，而是可以从一个更好的角度观赏中国这顶镶满宝石的王冠：陆家嘴天际线。无数摩天大楼坐落在浦东半岛上，任何人都见过它的照片。这难道不是最理想的市场营销吗？

Read any guidebook or rather, watch any travel video about Shanghai and they recommend you need to go have a look at the Bund. That is not neccesarily to see the Bund, but rather to have a good vantage point towards China’s crown jewel: The Lujiazui Skyline. An endless amount of skyscrapers sit on the Pudong peninsula. Nowadays everyone must have seen a photo of it. Isn’t that the ideal marketing?

▼古北SOHO（点击这里查看更多）
Gubei Soho (click HERE to view more)

上海中心是众多摩天大楼中的一座，其优雅的轮廓旋转上升至超过六百米高，将在一段时间内占据中国最高建筑的宝座。尽管这些大楼高耸入云，但它们或许并不像看上去那么光鲜。从经济角度讲，这些摩天大楼并不成功，其复杂的结构都是靠金钱堆砌起来的。然而，当人们拍下这里的照片并且传播到网上，这些建筑可以吸引来大量的游客。想想毕尔巴鄂效应，在一个Instagram和微信统治的时代，中国十分清楚这样可以带来的效应。

One of the towers is the Shanghai Tower, a beautifully turning silhouette rising to over 600 meter in height. Currently and for at least a while longer, China’s tallest tower. And while some come close in terms of height, not one of them comes close in terms of what it represents. While economically the tower hasn’t been a success, as a portrayal of Shanghai this complex structure has been worth every dollar. When people see this kind fo people they snap a whole lot of photos of it (including me) and spread them around the internet. Architecture has always attracted large crowds, let’s think back about the Bilbao effect, but especially China understood the impact of this in a time where everything happens on Instagram or WeChat.

▼深圳能源大厦（点击这里查看更多）
Shenzhen Energy HQ (click HERE to view more)

现在，尤其是在中国，建筑旅行是一个热门，即便是对建筑不怎么感兴趣的人也会来看一看。建筑成为了自拍的好背景。如今，很多人可能比起城市里的古老寺庙，更清楚扎哈·哈迪德的项目在哪里。

建筑是中国城市最好的营销工具，它们可以帮助建立城市形象，从其他更加知名的城市吸引游客。

Architourism is a big deal nowadays, especially in China, even for people that don’t have a particular interest in the architecture itself. It does usually offer a good backdrop for that selfie. It seems that in our current time, that people know better where that Zaha Hadid project is located than that centuries old temple.

Architecture is the perfect marketing tool for Chinese cities to profile themselves and attract visitors away from the more famous other cities.

▼宁波城市规划展览中心（点击这里查看更多）
Ningbo Urban Planning Exhibition Center (click HERE to view more)

作者回想和反思
PERSONAL REFLECTION

一切都开始于13年前。在中国准备2008北京奥运会的时候，许多大胆而激进的建筑方案被批准并提上议程。当奥运会最终开幕的时候，我刚刚获得建筑学士学位。之后的两年中，为了完成硕士学业，我紧密跟进了许多标志性建筑的建造过程。中国是一个用建筑改变自己的国家。

2010年，中国迎来了第二个世界级盛典，2010上海世博会。我决定亲眼来看一看这些建筑。第一次中国之旅打开了我的眼界，让我切实体会到了中国国家的辽阔，城市的巨大，以及人口的众多。在这里，一切都更高更大，并且数量繁多。怀抱着极大的热情和自信，我借此机会在中国找到了一份建筑师工作。如今10年过去了，我仍然徘徊在中国各地，并且为自己当年的决定感到骄傲。

It all started a good 13 years ago. As China was gearing up to host the 2008 Olympics in its capital Beijing, the architecture they were planning to build was just that tiny bit bolder, more daring and more provoking. When the Olympics eventually rolled through in the summer of 2008, I had just completed my Bachelor degree in Architecture. During the following 2 years, completing my Masters degree, I followed closely the construction of many of those iconic projects. China is a country that uses Architecture to transform itself.

When 2010 came around, and the country held its second big world event, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, I decided to go see the architecture with my own eyes. Traveling through China for the first time was eye-opening and gives you a good sense of the massive scale in terms of cities, vastness of the country and the large number of citizens. Everything is bigger and taller, by a lot. With a good dose of confidence and enthusiasm, I took the opportunity and searched for a job as an architect. Now 10 years later and still hanging around China, I can conclude that the job search was quite successful.

▼上海外滩金融中心（点击这里查看更多）
Fosun Foundation (click HERE to view more)

无论住在北京、上海，还是现在的香港，建筑都是我生命中无处不在的存在。既做建筑师又做建筑摄影师可以更好地帮助我了解自己不断变化的生活环境。在中国的工作和生活中，我可以亲自体会到建筑的巨大能量。它不仅可以影响城市的外观、功能或发展情况，更是展示给外界的名片。这也是本书中的标志性建筑物产生的原因。

Living in Beijing, Shanghai and now Hong Kong, architecture has been the omnipresent factor in my life. Combining being an architect and architectural photographer at the time proved to be a good combination to understand my new ever-changing living context. While living and working across China, I could firsthand see what a strong presence architecture can have. Not only on how the city looks, functions or develops, but also how it can represent itself to the outside world. This is where the iconic architecture represented in this book comes into place.

▼（左）重庆国泰艺术中心，(left) Chongqing Guotai Arts Center
（右）万达电影主题公园，(right) Wanda Movie Theme Park

▼（左）OCT设计博物馆（点击这里查看更多），(left) OCT Pavilion (click HERE to view more)
（右）上海东方体育中心（点击这里查看更多），(right) Shanghai Oriental Sports Center (click HERE to view more)

《更美的中国》精选了过去20年中国建成的最令人震惊的现代建筑。从弧形的摩天大楼、无限循环的圆圈、堆叠的筷子，到移动的管状幕帘，书中的作品为人们提供了这些惊人建筑的独特片段。从知名城市，如北京、上海、香港，到中国大陆中的一些二三线城市，如哈尔滨、长沙、武汉，本书将让你从一个新的视点观察中国。

Beautified China is a selection of the most striking modern buildings that have been erected in the country over the past 2 decades. From arched skyscrapers, infinity loops, stacked chopsticks to moving tubular curtains, this book offers a glimpse of the endless supply of breathtaking architecture. From the well-known cities (Beijing – Shanghai – Hong Kong), to the lesser known cities deep down the mainland of China (Harbin – Changsha – Wuhan-..), this book will give you a guaranteed new look at the Middle Kingdom (the literal translation of the mandarin name for China: Zhongguo)

▼书籍内页，inside pages of the book

如今我在中国度过了第一个十年，而我的热情与初来中国的时候相比丝毫未减。随着国家快速发展，建筑将继续成为这个国家最引人瞩目的一部分。中国是我作为建筑摄影师最好的战场。

As I approach my first decade in China, I can look back at my early days in the country with the same enthusiasm as I do today. As the country keeps developing rapidly, architecture has and will always be at the forefront of it all. There is no place I would rather be than in China as an architectural photographer.

▼封底，back cover

点击这里购买《更美的中国》

More: Kris Provoost on gooood

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