The 2008 Olympic Games have symbolized the dreams and ambitions of Beijing for the past years. It is now time to envision Beijing’s future beyond 2008. Being conscious of our past, present and future, we set forth three projects that respond to the changes Beijing will face. This is neither a rebellion nor a radical act towards the current. We want to suggest, not to criticize.

Tiananmen: People’s Park
The changes Tiananmen Square has witnessed in the past few decades are what reflects the evolution of the nation’s spirit. By 2050, a mature and democratic China will have emerged, and the Red Square-like spaces for massive political gatherings and troop processions may no longer be necessary. What will Tiananmen Square be like when deprived of its political and transportation functions?

Imagine a People’s Park. The national theatre would be hidden inside a ‘landscape mountain’, diffusing its forms in what is now Zhongnanhai. In 2050, Tiananmen Square could be an urban space filled with life and the green heart in the center of Beijing.

Floating Island over the CBD
The CBD in Beijing was built according to a western vision of modernization created in the last century. We need to jump ahead and create a city centre for our post-western, postindustrial society. The
future of Beijing needs to be interrelated rather than a sea of individual glass boxes, each striving to be taller than the last. Digital studios, multi-media business centers, theatres, restaurants,
libraries, sightseeing, gyms, even a man-made lake, will be elevated above the existing CBD, hatching out a new horizontal connectivity.

The Future of the Hutongs
Hutongs are heaven to visitors, but a nightmare for existing residents, where the deplorable sanitary conditions and lack of private toilets make life extremely difficult. City developers tear down the historic fabric and recreate it in ersatz form for their wealthy clients. In response to this conflict, here we propose to insert futuristic bubbles into the environment of the Hutongs, either to provide necessary facilities for the current residents or to create new spaces for the wealthy to live next door.