Located near the former city wall of Beijing, Steven Holl’s “Linked Hybrid” complex is completely self-contained, and features one of the largest geothermal heating and cooling systems in the world.

The LA Times has published an interesting gallery of images showing Beijing consumers using their local IKEA store as a space to relax and socialize. Beyond shopping, the store has become a destination for Saturday afternoon family outings, naps, and photo shoots.
Only with China’s recent economic growth have branded retail experiences become more common. For most Chinese the concept is still fairly foreign, making visiting these locations a form of entertainment.
[via LA Times]

In the latest report to track China’s wealthiest people, we learn that Beijing has the most multimillionaires in China. The Hurun Report’s newest publication titled “China’s New Aristocrat Consumption Threshold Report” lays out the details on Beijing’s estimated 143,000 multimillionaires and 8,800 billionaires. In comparison, Shanghai has 116,000 multimillionaires and 7,000 billionaires.
The typical rich Beijing family profile is that of a couple in their 40s with a teenager. Annual spending for Beijing’s rich is roughly USD 850,000, including an estimated one-fifth of that going to charity. Tokyo and Osaka are top travel destinations, while BMW and Mercedes Benz are the [...]

At the 2008 Nike exhibition in Beijing, the sports retail giant utilized a unique packaging design, hoping to reflect their goals of sustainability and lightness.  The recycled cardboard packaging was designed by Zack Klauck and Emile Molie from 2×4, Inc.  The multidisciplinary design studio produced an exhibit that chronicled the four decades of Nike’s pursuit of new materials and technology.
The bags themselves are a mesh wrap of cardboard that are designed to hold a shirt and a windbreaker or a pair of shoes.  The sizes are written by hand and special attention is paid to the amount of materials involved [...]

Beijing, home to some of the most grand and experimental architecture over the past 5 years, is set to add another unique building to its landscape. Chaoyangmen SOHO III is designed by Zaha Hadid and located in the upscale SOHO area of east Beijing.
The buildings inside the 334,000 square meter space are inspired by the traditional Chinese courtyard design with an open area surrounded by a building that envelops the visitor in a 360 degree manner. The uniquely fluid design has no hard corners or angles, which is a sharp contrast from the Soviet-style buildings common to Beijing.

[via Daily Tonic]

The story of punks living in “communist China” is a compelling story for many visitors to China and we’ve covered some of the previous documentation by journalists and photographers. Now, there is a new feature length documentary film by Australian writer and director, Shaun Jefford.  “Beijing Punk”  was filmed last summer, while the 2008 Olympics were taking place.
The film focuses on four Chinese bands – Demerit, PK14, Hedgehog and Misandao – as well as some of the key players in the Chinese underground music scene.
Check out SPIN Earth’s interview with Shaun Jefford and more photos here.
See full report…

After walking on the street or riding in a taxi, you would think you could escape from the bombardment of advertising back in your hotel room.  However, this is not the case if you stay in one of Beijing’s hotels featuring advertising via the TV screen on your in-room phone.
Marc van der Chijs experienced this first hand at the Jinglun Hotel.  The advertisements start on just one part of the screen, but eventually take over the entire screen with full length TV commercials that you cannot easily turn off.  Is this an invasion of privacy or an innovative way to [...]

It’s Not About the Neighbors, is a sculptural and video installation that replicates the façade of an adjacent pancake shop during the day and projects video during night time hours depicting neighbors at work making and selling bread and noodles.  The installation, created by Wang Gongxin, mimics a common site in Beijing’s older neighborhoods and 胡同 (’hutongs’).
Arrow Factory, an independently run alternative storefront space in Beijing who put together the project, explains:

The work’s relationship to the adjacent business changes depending hour of the day; at times it is a physical imitation, at times it is a virtual simulation, and sometimes it’s [...]

This past January, Split Works organized the first annual “JUE Festival” in Shanghai and Beijing to celebrate creative, alternative culture in China.  The JUE festival brought together a mix of live shows and visual arts performances in both cities over a ten day period to attract 12,600 attendees.
Music highlights included performances from up-and-coming indie Chinese label Maybe Mars as well as foreign musicians South Rakkas Crew and ENFANT TERRIBLE.  On the visual arts side, JUE showcased work from artist Chen Hang Feng and tatoo artist Wang Tingting.
Check out the video recap for highlights and interviews from JUE Festival 2009.

Anyone who has ridden the subway during rush hour in China knows how chaotic and overwhelming it can be as an individual commuter. Shuandjoe point us to the photography of Pierre Siedel, whose recent work “Still / Moving” captures people stopped in the middle of the Beijing subway commute.
Pierre Siedel explains the concept behind “Still / Moving”:

Being isolated from the rushing crowd, one feels alienated, lonely, detached even abandoned. In this artificial universe, the underground transit bubble stirs the mind to a kind of self-reflection. I thought it would be interesting to explore through photography such absurd places like the [...]

If you walk into any Internet bar in China, you are sure to see a large number of the screens filled with scenes from the extremely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW).  The game has attracted over 1 million peak concurrent users in China and makes up more than 90 percent of the earnings for The9, the game’s China licensee.
Given the games popularity, an entrepreneur has opened a WoW-themed restaurant in Beijing to cater to its considerable number of fans.  The entrance is a re-creation of the opening animation from the game, walls are covered with WoW images and replica [...]