“China’s New Megacities” in Antwerp

‘China’s New Megacities’ is a varied program about China’s emerging cities, in which we will give presentations about the world’s fastest developing region. Moreover, we will present the Dutch edition of our book titled De stad die naar meneer Sun verhuisde. Joining us is China-expert and author Jeanne Boden. The program is organized in close co-operation with Flemish-Dutch House deBuren and the Flemish Architecture Institute.

Thursday 29 March | 20:00 | deSingel | Desguinlei 25, Antwerpen | Free entrance | More information and registration.

Shanghai Book launch in Glamour Bar

On Sunday 16 October, architect Daan Roggeveen and China correspondent Michiel Hulshof will present their new book How the City Moved to Mr Sun – China’s New Megacities. They will share their stories and pictures from developing Chinese megacities like Wuhan (10 million inhabitants), Shijiazhuang (9 million) and Chongqing (33 million), that are transforming at breakneck pace into the big brothers and sisters of global cities like Sao Paolo, London and Moscow. Here, China is constructing the biggest urban society the world has ever seen.

Venue : Glamour Bar
Address : 6/F, No.5 The Bund (corner of Guangdong Lu), Shanghai
Time : 4pm
Entry : RMB 75 (includes a drink), students RMB 20

Book launch and exhibition in London

Last Thursday, we launched How the City Moved to Mr Sun in The Gopher Hole Gallery in London during the London Design Festival. The book launch consisted of a presentation and a Q&A, and a small exhibition in the gallery.

Chinese Cities in Gopher Hole Gallery

After a successful launch in a sold out City Theatre in Amsterdam, architect Daan Roggeveen and China correspondent Michiel Hulshof will present their new book How the City Moved to Mr. Sun – China’s New Megacities in the Gopher Hole Gallery during the London Design Festival.

On September 22, they will share their stories and pictures from unknown Chinese megacities like Wuhan (10 million inhabitants), Shijiazhuang (9 million) and Chongqing (33 million), that are transforming at breakneck pace into the big brothers and sisters of global cities like Rio de Janeiro, London and Moscow. Here, China is constructing the biggest urban society the world has ever seen.

The transformation of these cities follows a ruthless logic: farmers demolish their homes and build their own high-rise apartment blocks, torn down again by city authorities in the name of progress. Everywhere in the country, new business districts, skylines and complete ghost cities come into being.

The effects are felt far outside China. The growing urban middle class has ever more money to spend, driving up demand for luxuries worldwide. Chinese students are conquering the lecture halls of Harvard and Yale. On the other hand, urbanisation has severe implications in terms of sustainability: it causes higher emissions of greenhouse gasses and puts further pressure on dwindling oil and gas reserves.

Venue: The Gopher Hole
Address: 350-354 Old Street, London EC1V 9NQ
Time: 22 September, starting at 6.30 pm
Reserve your free tickets: rsvp@holygopher.com

Exploding Stadsschouwburg!

Last Tuesday, after a diverse program of lectures, music and theatre, Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Maarten van Poelgeest, responsible for spatial planning, received the first issue of our book How the City Moved to Mr Sun. In a sold out (!) Stadsschouwburg, our program Exploding China showed the transformation of China’s new megacities.

Jiang Jun

Wang Fei

Jiang Jun had a great key note lecture about the Chongqing model, Wang Fei introduced the concept of Shanzai architecture and Joan Veldkamp interviewed prof Stefan Landsberger and prof Peter Ho about the economy, cultural life and future of Chinese megacities.

Panel with prof Stefan Landsberger, prof Peter Ho, interviewed by journalist Joan Veldkamp

Program Exploding China – China’s New Megacities

Exploding China – China’s New Megacities

13 September 2011, 20.00 – 22.30h

Over the next two decades around 300 million Chinese villagers will move to the city, creating the largest urban society the world has ever seen. Unknown Chinese megacities like Wuhan (10 million inhabitants), Shijiazhuang (9 million) and Chongqing (33 million) are transforming at breakneck pace into the big brothers and sisters of global cities like Rio de Janeiro, London and Moscow.

The transformation follows a ruthless logic: farmers demolish their homes and build their own high-rise apartment blocks, torn down again by city authorities in the name of progress. Everywhere in the country, new business districts, skylines and even complete ghost cities emerge. The effects are felt far outside China. The growing urban middle class has ever more money to spend, driving up demand for luxuries worldwide. Chinese students are conquering the lecture halls of Harvard and Yale.

In a refreshing program with presentations, live interviews, theatre, music and debate, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam and the Go West Project will offer you a program with Chinese and Dutch experts who shine their light on the breathtaking developments in these new cities, and the implications for the rest of the world.

Idea and realisation:
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam and Go West Project Melle Daamen, Wiepke Westbroek, Michiel Hulshof, Daan Roggeveen

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Exploding China: Chinese Cities in Amsterdam City Theatre

On September 13, the City Theatre of Amsterdam will host the program Exploding China – China’s New Megacities on unknown Chinese megacities like Wuhan, Shijiazhuang and Chongqing. These cities are transforming at breakneck pace into the big brothers and sisters of global cities like Rio de Janeiro, London and Moscow. Here, China is constructing the biggest urban society the world has ever seen.

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Go West lectures at Hong Kong University

Today, Go West did a lecture for students at the Shanghai Study Centre of the Hong Kong University. The lecture was part of the urbanism class of Liu Yuyang, teacher at HKU. We discussed preservation strategies in Kunming and the architectural quality of urban villages in Lanzhou. Finally we talked about the house of mr. Sun in Shijiazhuang and the new landlords of the Fang Bei area.

Go West organizes workshop in Xi’an University of Architecture

Today, we did a presentation for students of the Xian University of Architecture. We were invited by professor Xiao Li – who we also interviewed last Sunday – to tell something about our project. We decided to do it different, and ask the students to give their vision on residential design in China – our subject of research in Xi’an.

First, we gave a brief introduction on our work, and our analysis of the current status quo of residential design: gated compounds with high rises, oriented north/south, with a private garden within the boundaries of the gate. We asked the students to come up with alternative concepts. The challenge for them was to do the fastest urban design in history: develop a concept for a compound of 400×500 m., with a FAR of 3,0 and to present the results within 30 minutes. And they succeeded. See below some impressions of the concepts they came up with.

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Go West lecture @ De Balie online

The lecture Go West did 2 weeks ago in De Balie, Amsterdam, is now online.

Go West at De Balie Amsterdam, February 11, 20.30 pm

On Thursday, February 11 the Go West Project will give a presentation at De Balie in Amsterdam.

In this presentation we will present results from our research in the cities in the Central and Western part of China. We will show redevelopment in Shijiazhuang, preservation in Kunming and the new business district in Wuhan. The evening will end with a panel discussion about several topics. How do these cities develop? Does China build a new type of city? What does the growth of these cities mean for China and the rest of the world?

The panel consists of China watchers, amongst whom Annette Nijs, director Global Initiative of the China Europe International Business School and author of the book ‘China with New Eyes’ and Michelle Provoost, founder of Crimson Architectural Historians and director of the International New Town Institute.

Also on February 11, De Balie will open a photo exhibition about the performance of the Go West Project at the Shenzhen / Hong Kong Architecture Biennale in December, where they asked 6 taxi drivers from 6 different Chinese cities to drive across the country to Shenzhen.

Time : February 11, 2010 at 20.30 pm
Location : De Balie
Address: Kleine Gartmanplantsoen 10, Amsterdam (near Leidseplein)
Admission : Free

Go West in 6’40”

Last friday, Go West participated in the Shanghai Pecha Kucha. This evening was organized as part of the Dutch participation in the Shanghai International Creative Industry Week.

In the 6min. 40 sec presentation we explained our project and how we are going to bring taxi’s from all over China to Shenzhen as our contribution to the Shenzhen Hong Kong Biennale.

Picture by 丰宇瑞

Go West Project presentation at Factory, 25/06/2009 on Vimeo

The presentation we did at Factory last month has been filmed, and Factory’s Geoff Broz made a video out of it! For the ones who could not attend, and those who would like to have a wrap up of what we did there: via Go West Project presentation at Factory, 25/06/2009 on Vimeo.

25 June 20.30h.: GWP Presentation at Factory Shanghai

Go West Project goes Dutch

A new presentation is available in Dutch, for potential partners and sponsors. Take a look at it here:

Go West Project Presentation NL