Despite the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake that struck the area last May, the construction program for a complex of 10 contemporary artists' museums near the Qingcheng mountain range and the Shimen River, near Dujiangyan City, has not been suspended. The first of this ensemble will be the Yue Minjun Museum, one of the most highly regarded heroes of the Chinese art scene in the West, a representative of "cynical realism." It is assumed that the construction of cultural institutions of international level should attract investment funds to this part of Sichuan and accelerate its recovery from the natural disaster.
The museum building with an area of just under 1000 sq. m will include exhibition halls and an artist's workshop. Its volume follows the shape of the river pebbles that inspired the architects when developing the project. They sought to create at the same time a futuristic and natural image, in harmony with the "mountains and waters" of the natural landscape. For the cladding of the building, polished zinc was chosen, which has a soft, muted shine and thus corresponds to the ambivalent intention of the authors of the project.
By the start of the 2008 Olympic Games, the installation of the facade of another landmark building, the Central China Television (CCTV) building in Beijing, was completed. This is an important milestone in the construction of the structure, which began in September 2004. The two halves of its huge loop were connected at a height of 162 meters in December last year, and in March 2008 the building was completed. The CCTV building will be completed at the end of 2009, and its additional building, the Television Cultural Center (TVCC), will open early next year. The third building of the ensemble - a circular technical center - has already been commissioned and is used to broadcast the Olympic competitions.
