? With the changes of the times, the city is becoming the highest form and ideal goal of social life. Rural areas develop into towns, small cities March into big cities, and big cities March into megacities. The vast rural areas are also moving towards urbanization. Tall buildings have been built in larger villages, and rural people have lived a life of half city and half village.
Looking around, these trends are in full swing. However, there is a phenomenon worth thinking about. "One Side of a Thousand Cities" has become a criticism in development.
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"One side of a thousand cities" means that many cities look the same. Just take a walk outside, there are high-rise buildings everywhere, growing into the air like a jungle. Even the color of the exterior wall of the building is limited to several kinds, either dark yellow or leaden gray. The elements that make up a city are nothing more than a few points: dense tall buildings, tortuous concrete roads, lawns, and a small square with some fitness equipment and a spring water. This is the typical form of the community. Cities need parks, so somewhere, a variety of trees, a variety of dense trees, and the installation of some large recreational facilities have become the basic model of modern parks. Now high-speed railway station and the airport are also in the same mode. Passengers arrive at the first floor, pedestrians leave the second floor, and the ground floor picks up the plane and stops. It is nothing more than these three pieces, and there is little difference in appearance and style.
I suddenly found that, I don't know when, many cities look like a face without their own characteristics and become the biggest scenery in modern society. Similar plans, similar buildings, and even the names of buildings are similar, especially in new urban areas around the country. If you walk in, you can't see which city you were born in.
In the past, when foreigners came to strange cities, they liked to go shopping. Now, I'd rather stay in a hotel than go out. Why? Because all the goods in the mall are similar. Oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, MC Davi meat and vegetables, sugar, wine, tobacco, milk, clothes, shoes and socks are available in any city. Observing the layout of the shopping mall, the first floor is full of cosmetics and gold and silver jewelry; The second floor is women's and children's wear, the third floor is men's wear, and the other floors are for the elderly, bedding and electrical appliances. The most important thing is to set up catering floors and cinemas in the shopping mall. The floors above shopping malls are apartments and houses, and supermarkets and parking lots are often located underground. This model is popular all over the country and has become the main force to promote urban life everywhere. What do people do in shopping centers? Not shopping, mainly eating, watching movies and relaxing, especially for the new generation. Many movies have set box office records, and they are all made in such theaters. No matter which city you go to, the shopping malls, cinemas, supermarkets and the headache of parking are the same. The society is progressing, but it also brings some problems.
Why is this happening? Utilitarianism is the trend, and the lack of cultural belief is the core. On the one hand, it pursues rapid development and scientific and technological progress, and all localities blindly compare with each other. Old houses and things have been knocked down and replaced by uniform modern high-rise buildings. Supporting pedestrian street, overlapping elevated ring road, Bizhi main road and comprehensive square are indispensable, and this model has been copied to various places. On the other hand, in the process of learning foreign cultures, I lost my own cultural foundation. It seems difficult to be a city without tall buildings. The more buildings, the higher and denser, and the more skyscrapers, the more international. So, it will change a little today and a little tomorrow. In the past, the smell of "three fragrant pavilions with five towering eaves and upturned corners" became less and less common, and unconsciously "one side of a thousand cities" became a climate.
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At the beginning of its invention, a city has two meanings: "city" refers to the area surrounded by city walls, which includes two ranges, "the city inside is a city, and the outline outside is an outline", that is, the city is surrounded by an outline, which is the most primitive form of the city. Why build a city? "Build a city to defend the monarch, build a profile to defend the people", build a profile to attack the city and strengthen defense. "City" refers to the place where transactions are conducted. "In ancient times, there was no market. Gathering in a well and selling goods by the well is called the market. " This is the origin of a city's business circle. It can be seen that there is a city in the outline, a city in the city and a city completed by a well, both of which constitute the face of an ancient city.
Nowadays, peace and development have become two major themes in the world. The defensive function of the city has been weakened a lot in concept, but the function of "street" has been praised more and more, and it has almost become synonymous with economic benefits. Economists relish the theory that if we try to gather population, turn rural areas into cities and expand the coverage of cities, we can create employment opportunities, bring consumption and promote economic growth. Holding conferences, exhibitions and trade fairs around the world every year is the best example. It is a global competition to improve the urbanization rate of a country and expand the total GDP. These ideas are obviously labeled as utilitarianism, which is virtually guiding the economic utility of the city, rather than considering how to make people live better.
Aristotle said: "People come to cities to live, and people live in cities to live better." The reality is not ideal. "The pace is too fast, the pressure is too high, the cost of living is too high, and the tentacles of commercialization are full of daily life." Many city people lament.
As early as decades ago, Lin Yutang, a master of Chinese studies, expressed concern about this problem: "Our houses are all square, our streets are straight, and there are no winding flower galleries. Trees are neatly trimmed, round or tapered, regardless of thickness ... at night, skyscrapers become shining windows. There are no stars outside the window, I can't smell flowers, I can't hear insects and birds singing. Think about it, is this the life we want? This city keeps us away from nature. Therefore, we have a major problem, that is, to restore nature and bring it back to our families. What can a person enjoy at night besides tall skyscrapers and a row of lighted windows? Everything is wrong, absolute and irreparable. " What a profound revision this is!
Cities are great inventions of mankind. Since its birth, how to shape the beauty of the city and create a better life has always been one of the important goals pursued by people. Therefore, it has always been the mission of urban transformation to transform the old city, expand the new area, repair and try to improve its functions. In the process of urban change, there are four States in various places:
? The first category is the demolition of old buildings. The rebuilt city is dominated by modern high-rise buildings and has no ancient charm. After the transformation of some cities, there are not many trees left, all of which are bare concrete floors, with few lawns and flowers as decorations, and some even have no lawn flowers.
? The second category is that in a specific area, some old streets and alleys have been preserved. Such as Beijing Siheyuan, Shanxi Merchants Courtyard, Nanjing Old Street, Suzhou Garden, etc. , has become scarce in the city.
? The third category is to preserve the buildings and traditions of the past to the greatest extent. For example, Old Town of Lijiang, Yangshuo in Guilin, Hakka Tulou in Fujian, Diaojiaolou in Guizhou, Tibetan dwellings in Tibet, etc. The local characteristics and cultural individuality are still intact.
? The fourth category is the small towns in the mountainous areas of the south of the Yangtze River and southwest China, which still maintain the simple force of nature with "green eaves and flowers as before", with Huizhou Cultural District, Hakka Cultural District, Miao Zhuang Jiadongjia and other ethnic minority areas as the most typical examples. On the contrary, it has become a "paradise" and architectural treasure advocated by many urban people.
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People like mountains and rivers. Why? I wonder, is it because people's ancestors are apes, and apes like to climb mountains, trees and water, so people inherit such genes? Or from the origin of life, water is the source of all things. All animals are evolved from single-celled organisms in water, and people and their ancestors, apes, are no exception. They all have the gene of love the water's love for mountains in their bones. Even if people live in cities, they are always obsessed with the pastoral life of mountains and rivers. I'm afraid this is the dominant reason. Call it "wild gene" or "natural complex" for the same reason.
Once you live in a city, the advantage is prosperity and convenience, but the disadvantage is that it is difficult to smell fragrant flowers and weeds, listen to insects and birds, and watch the life of the sun, the moon and the stars. It is futile to plant a flower and a small vegetable garden at any time, away from nature and soil. What should I do? As a result, villas appeared in the suburbs of the city. It is an ideal form of urban-rural integration, which can make people return to the natural countryside. There are mountains, waters and sunsets, planting flowers and vegetables and listening to the wind and rain, picking chrysanthemums under the hedge during the day and watching the stars and moons at night. Although not as good as this, everyone yearns for it. However, it is too expensive for the general public to bear. This is the contradiction encountered in the development of civilization.
Inspired by this invisible "wilderness gene", people don't want to lose the benefits of the city on the one hand, and dream of returning to the original nature on the other. As a result, there are several new trends in this city:
? First of all, after living in the city for a long time, people often like to stay in the country for a while.
? Second, northerners generally like to support the elderly in the south. The reason is that northerners live in cold snow and ice, and drinking can keep out the cold, but they are more eager to live in a spring-like climate all day long without drinking. In addition, they are far away from the sea all their lives and have never seen much water, so they are more willing to spend their old age where there is sea. The sea, with infinite warmth and hope in its eyes, always dreams of soaking in the sea in the morning, coming in the afternoon and plopping in the water before going to bed at night.
? Third, the rich people in the city set up farmhouses in the countryside and lived a life of half city and half village.
? Fourthly, more and more people choose to travel abroad to increase their knowledge. There is also an important reason behind it, which is to relieve the tension and pressure of city life and relax yourself.
Although there is no "one thousand views" on tourist attractions, they are no longer so natural and primitive under the impact of commercialization, and the utilitarian components are getting heavier and heavier.
In the past, mountain climbing was a painful and happy pastime. Now you can climb the mountain in a few minutes by cable car, saving a lot of time, but losing the fun of enjoying the scenery, listening to birds and stopping. Breathe fresh air, talk to your companions while walking and eat snacks; It's great to see how far ahead you can go to the top of the mountain and look back at the past scenery. But taking the cable car ignores this rare enjoyment and interest. When we leave the scenic spot, we must go through the shopping area. Because they are always designed near the exit, you can't go out of the scenic spot without bypassing the "Jiuqu 18 Bay" because people deliberately want you to shop and spend money. In fact, there is basically no difference in the goods sold in scenic spots all over the country. Only in minority areas, there are rare things, but we dare not treat them lightly. This is the extension of commercialization and utilitarianism from cities to nature.
I remember reading the text when I was a child, and there are three places that are particularly desirable: the first is the water town in the south of the Yangtze River. I hope that when I grow up, I can come to the exquisite and elegant south of the Yangtze River, watch the small bridges flowing and walk into the misty rain. The second place is Xishuangbanna. Dai girls are sitting under the rubber forest, and the fruit falling from the branches is scattered all over the floor, and the bamboo basket exudes charming fruit fragrance; It can't be quiet, as long as you are in a foreign country ... This picture is an illustration of Xishuangbanna in a geography book. The third is the scene described in Peach Blossom Spring. Although it doesn't exist in reality, it's really exciting. I really want to walk into that world like Tao Yuanming and never come out again.
Now, we have been to Jiangnan, but we can't find the charm of Wu Peng's wooden paddle and Yiyi Water Town. I have also been to Xishuangbanna and found that the Songkran Festival turns into a daily performance. As long as the performance is planned, stylized, and not from true feelings, it loses its casual flavor. As for Tao Yuanming's fictional paradise, no matter how developed the traffic is, we can't go. So I can't help but sigh that it is the most beautiful and desirable place in the world, because it has no commercial color at all.
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In his Lamp of Memory, John Larkins said Kenche: "In cities, the only thing that can replace forests and Yuan Ye is the influence of ancient buildings. Don't abandon ancient buildings for neat squares, fenced sidewalks or trees, or beautiful streets and spacious docks. Because none of these can bring pride to your city. "
? Now many cities find that there is a problem with "one side of a thousand cities", so they begin to protect those old streets, lanes and towns. Tourist attractions should also try to keep their original appearance and reduce over-exploitation, which is worth advocating and encouraging.
Yuyan Pavilion and Xunyang Building are famous historical sites in Jiujiang. Yuyan Pavilion, located in Gantang Lake on the south bank of the Yangtze River, is said to be the former site of Zhou Yu, a famous star of the Three Kingdoms. Behind Xunyang Building is the Yangtze River, which stands by the river with a history of 1200 years. This is a folk restaurant in the Tang Dynasty. Later, due to the story of Song Jiang's anti-poetry and Li Kui's jy robbing the imperial court in the novel Water Margin, Xunyang Building became famous all over the world, and now it has become a scenic spot integrating famous buildings, famous books and famous wines.
Anyone who has been to Jiujiang knows that the environment around these two historic sites is unexpected. In particular, Yanyu Pavilion, located in the center of the old street, is completely submerged in the noise of high-rise buildings and cities. Pavilion is the busiest street in Jiujiang. Shopping malls and restaurants are crowded together, and there are rows of small shops selling mobile phones. In the past, the beauty of Yanshuige "returning to the short oar to scare the white crane, and painting the blue beach in Lanfang promenade" was hard to understand. Walking on the levee of the Yangtze River and looking at the water flowing eastward from the Yangtze River, Xunyang Building also lacks the sacred feeling of "Pupu Fengxia, firewood and mulberry are far away, and beautiful in all directions". The Yangtze River is the third largest river in the world and the largest river in China, and Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China. Jiujiang is sandwiched between this river and a lake, and faces Lushan Mountain in the south. Its location is extremely special and it should be a dangerous and beautiful place. However, the street view of Yuyan Pavilion and Xunyang Building made me discount the beautiful scenery of Jiujiang. However, at night, when people calm down, the lighting scene of Yu Yan Pavilion is very charming and rhythmic.
In the alleys of Shanghai in the past, old people sat on small benches and shook their fans to enjoy the cool, which was the best portrayal of Shanghainese. Now it has become a memory, and only the landscape by the Huangpu River is the landmark of Shanghai. The old buildings in Beijing are well protected, and there is a strong sense of culture and historical accumulation everywhere. Xi is the only city in China that has completely preserved the ancient city wall. "You are wearing high heels and stepping on the bricks of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. I painted red lips and took selfies on the wall of Qin Cheng, and the pavilions were photographed at night. The past is like smoke." The smell of the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties is memorable.
Hangzhou has inherited the beauty of the past, with good greening and strong ancient charm. Among the ten scenic spots of the West Lake, Su Causeway Xiao Chun, Huagang, fish watching, willow waves warming, Nanping night clock, etc. People miss the past and care about the present. Lin Yin Temple burns incense, meijiawu drinks tea, and nine streams and eighteen streams are cool, so that Hang Cheng has not lost its beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.
? If China's big cities can be called "garden cities", I'm afraid there are only two places, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, where the environment is beautiful. Those tall buildings are hidden in the shade of trees. Think carefully, how many cities in China are surrounded by green trees, gardens and flowers? How many cities can twinkle at night except outside the city or in the countryside? How many places have streams and springs that are crystal clear, sweet and mellow, and can be drunk?
Modern cities embody a fast pace rather than a comfortable and natural momentum. The beauty of a city should not be without greening and culture. There are few places with absolute advantages in urban green space; There are only a handful of cities with complete ancient buildings and innovations. People who travel to other places don't like to stay in cities, but prefer to go to ancient towns that are far away from cities and are not commercialized. In cities, there are more tourists in the old city than in the new city, and the old streets in Gu Xiang are the most popular. Because there is endless cultural atmosphere.
People who have been to Europe will certainly admire the thinness and dignity of European architectural art; People who have been to Egypt will certainly feel the inheritance of ancient civilization from those ancient buildings; Having been to Arab countries, you will be surprised at why religious beliefs have such a profound impact on architecture and everything else. People who have been to Australia, looking at the red-roofed buildings hidden between green mountains and green waters, can't help but sigh how their urban planning is so decent and comfortable.
People who have been to new york may say that new york is not as prosperous as Shanghai when they see the skyscrapers in Manhattan. But after seeing Yellowstone National Park and Canyon Forest in America, I will be amazed at how they can protect nature so well!
We don't deny the great contribution of cities to social development, nor do we worship foreign things. We just think that "one side of a thousand cities" is a problem that should be paid attention to. The goal of future urban construction is how to make people live in a comfortable garden. This garden should be full of "flowers of nature" and "flowers of culture". Only when the two flowers bloom together can a perfect city be achieved. The key is whether you have your own characteristics and personality.
Modern people don't seem to know what beauty is, because everything is measured and viewed with the colored eyes of economic interests. It is generally believed that beauty alone is useless without benefits. Venice reminds people of Shuicheng, Tibet reminds people of Potala Palace, Luoyang reminds people of Shaolin Temple, and Harbin may remind people of Russian architecture. Then, what are the memorable landmarks in Dalian, Zhengzhou, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Changsha? Further check, what are the landmarks in your city? Many cities can't think of its characteristics, which shows that its historical accumulation and cultural thickness are not enough, or that its characteristics and personality are still in the process of formation.
? How does architecture embody characteristics and individuality? Liang Sicheng, a famous architect, put forward four levels of "China-Singapore, Middle Ages, West-Singapore and West-ancient", and he thought that "China-Singapore" was the most commendable. On the surface, "one side of a thousand cities" is similar in spatial form, but in essence it is the lack of cultural individuality. To solve the problem of "one side of a thousand cities", we need to find the historical context back. Only by re-establishing the position and aesthetics of China culture, being kind to historical and cultural relics, excavating the essence of China culture and carrying forward innovation can we endow the city with characteristics, life and beauty.
China's architecture is rooted in China culture, and its characteristics and personality have existed in the matrix of civilization for thousands of years. Therefore, designers need to have "cultural self-confidence", and have the feelings and patterns of making the past serve the present, making the west serve China, inheriting and carrying forward, and innovating in China, instead of simply copying and seeking novelty and quickness, thinking that the higher a building is, the more it can become a landmark and reflect the greatness of human beings and the power of science and technology.
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A man without a story is boring. The story is his beauty, his quality and his soul. If a city is a place with stories, then a city with many stories must be beautiful, with soul and quality.
Our greatest wish is that in the future, from the children's words, we should not see such poems too much:
? "Walking through the traffic, looking at the red light and green light, the flowers in the park are in full bloom and the leaves are covered with dusty dust. I am wandering in the street alone, facing the crowds coming and going, and suddenly I feel that the world is so lonely and indifferent ... "
This is written by many young people. Think about it, how can such complicated feelings make people feel that such a city is full of goodwill and comfortable to live in?
If the city wants to return to nature, designers should get rid of impetuousness and return to nature. Sydney Opera House is not high enough to pass through the clouds, but it has left a deep impression on the world with its unconventional ideas. Its design comes from 37-year-old Danish architect Jon? Uzun's hand is neither a sail nor a shell, but a few orange petals. Inspired by the designer's childhood experience in a seaside fishing village. The beauty of the effective integration of architecture and environment lies in simplicity and atmosphere. But it was eliminated in the initial bidding, and then it was dug out of the waste paper pile by the judges, so that it was able to beat the competitor of 23 1 and win the first place. Today, it has become a landmark building in Australia and one of the most distinctive buildings in the 20th century. In 2007, it was rated as a world cultural heritage. It can be seen that architecture has a story and the city has a soul.
Architecture is the work of designers and the freehand brushwork of the mind. There is a story behind the resistance building. The imperial capital, the ancestral temple of sages, the old house of extended families, magnificent churches and temples, and beautiful pavilions all have stories behind them, so there are also souls and details. The architect who designed them must be an expert in this industry and also a person with taste and background. When millions of such buildings come together to form a unique landscape, the "one side of a thousand cities" will be turned into "one side of a thousand cities". Behind these different faces is actually a gathering of a group of designers with feelings. They may not seek fame and fortune, but they must have a goal: to create a beautiful home for mankind.
If our child studies architecture, gardening, urban planning and design, and if he has the following very simple ideas and creativity in his mind, he will be a great master in the future.
Alas! "The mountains in the north are blue and the water in the east is white", and this ancient city is really beautiful. Today's city, why can't it be natural and bright, with an elegant pastoral atmosphere, rather than dense high-rise buildings?
"Warm people village, Yi Yi market smoke. In the deep alley where dogs bark, chickens call mulberry trees jump. " This reminds us of the memory of living in the fence yard when we were children. If we can live in a "warm and distant city, among willows", we will have more elegance of "China is new" and less building blocks of "fast food culture". How can such a city not be called a city?
"There are some plums in the corner, and cold ling is alone." If our lawns, balconies, parking lots and parks are all pictures of people living in harmony with nature, instead of artificially blocking themselves from nature and surrounding them in concrete walls, why can't we, as the ancients sang, "It's not snow from afar, but it has a faint fragrance"?
"Green willows blow horns, swallow eaves fly green, the palace is frosty in the morning, and the balcony falls on the moon." If our park has more curves of "the cornices are upturned, elegant and natural", there will be less wholeness that goes straight up and down and soars into the sky; With more twinkling stars and less dust and fog, how can the hearts of city people not sway with the breeze, look at the bright moon and sing to the wine?
"two orioles sing green willows, and a row of egrets go up to the sky." If our city is full of clear Wan Li and white clouds floating, there will be fewer things blocking the line of sight and more birds and flowers. Without rigid brick walls and cement walls, and with soft and comfortable eyes, why can't we appreciate the picture of "the window contains snow in Xiling, and the Wu Dong Wan Li boat is moored at the door"?
If the future city can make people moved by the scenery and send such beautiful poems, it will undoubtedly be out of the environment shrouded by excessive commercialization and utilitarianism. Nature and humanity are no longer "one side of a thousand cities", but each has its own characteristics. With beauty and pleasure, it will become the most suitable place to live.