14. Novelty buildings
Bizarre designs of structures continue to dominate in China
This is the “Objectecture” in Tianze Hotel in Hebei. It is the 10-storey high effigies of Fu, Lu, and Shou—the Chinese gods of good fortune, prosperity, longevity. China is known to build enormous, carved Buddha into mountainsides and a hotel entrepreneur wanted to keep this tradition by establishing this trio of habitable gods in the middle of Hebei, east of Beijing. Shou, the one with the white beard, welcomes and houses the hotel’s best suite. China is known for unconventional architecture such as a space caterpillar egg; a cluster of space eggs; a phallic skyscraper; a gigantic bottle representing a liquor company; and a building-size homage to the phone handset.
