Critical Regionalism for Ingratiation: China’s Foreign-Aided Stadiums After 2000

Wei Chang; Yifan Gao; Xiaofeng Guo; Guang Yang; Xue Charlie QL

doi:10.26689/jwa.v9i5.10853

Wei Chang School of Fine Arts, Tangshan Normal University, Tangshan, China; School of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Yanshan University, Hebei, China
Yifan Gao School of Fine Arts, Tangshan Normal University, Tangshan, China
Xiaofeng Guo China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
Guang Yang School of Fine Arts, Tangshan Normal University, Tangshan, China
Xue Charlie QL Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26689/jwa.v9i5.10853

Keywords: China’s foreign-aided stadium, Critical regionalism, After 2000

Abstract

Stadiums have been one of China’s most well-known and influential foreign aid projects that attract considerable attention. After 2000, a series of reforms in China’s foreign aid generated significant influences on the designs of China’s foreign-aided buildings, especially on large constructions such as stadiums. The authors aim to explore the development of China’s foreign-aided stadiums after 2000 and analyze the influential aspects on the design processes. Critical regionalism for ingratiation is identified as the main architectural feature. The study is conducted through a detailed analysis of the foreign aid mechanism, case projects, first-hand materials, and interviews with Chinese architects involved. The authors consider these stadiums to represent a unique critical regionalism with cultural and climate elements embedded. It can be regarded as a considerable supplement to the current scholarship on Chinese contemporary architecture and Chinese sports buildings.

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