A discordant meeting of form and function in a new government building is part of the transformation of an agricultural area of China.
What could this building contain? The architectural signifiers of this piano-and-violin-shaped glass building in the rapidly growing city of Huainan in the Anhui province of China seem painfully obvious. One might safely assume this structure is a concert hall, music school, or possibly a museum of music. But that interpretation would be incorrect.
The building actually contains city plans and models that showcase the government’s rapid growth plans for this newly developed region. The violin and piano bear no obvious relationship to the culture of Anhui, an agricultural region region know for its traditional cuisine and Huiju opera (which does not involve instruments). The building seems to function as a stereotypical icon of western culture used to symbolize progress in rural China. This is strange glass. More pictures can be seen at The China Digital Times.
—Kim Harty
