New building looks like pants, angry Chinese residents say
The Gate of the Orient in Suzhou.
China is facing an epidemic of buildings that look like pants. The latest offender is the Gate to the East, a 74-story skyscraper in Suzhou that was supposed to honor China's economic rise, the Daily Telegraph reported.
But instead of honoring China as an economic superpower, the building is instead just a sore reminder of China's other building that looks like pants. "Why does China look like the playground of foreign designers with laughable architectural ideas?" one blogger commented, according to China Daily.
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The other pants controversy occurred in 2008, when architect Rem Koolhaas’ firm designed a monument in front of China Central TV in Beijing. The New York Times likes the building, but some locals complain that it resembles giant underpants.
Other have questioned whether the pants criticisms are unfounded. The Shanghai Daily asked: “Is it an arch or just plain pants?” Maybe people just have pants on the brain.
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