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Not happy with building mysterious gigantic structures in the desert, the Chinese are now building inter-dimensional portals in the middle of their cities. I mean, come on, what the hell is this 157 metre high metal structure in the the city of Fushun, in northeast China’s Liaoning province?
It’s made of an astounding 3,000 tons of steel and it will glow at night — decorated with 12,000 LED lights. According to Fushun Municipal Government’s officials, this titanic structure does absolutely nothing except serve as an elevated sighting position. They claim it is pretty “landscape architecture” — like the Eiffel Tower. It uses four elevators to take people to the top.
The Chinese media has been harsh about the building after a blogger posted these photos on Sina Weibo, which is the country’s “largest microblog platform.” Not surprising, since this thing costs £10 million.
The city’s defense: “there’s not enough people to build entertainment, so we just build something pretty, OK?! ARE WE COOL NOW!”. Or something like that.
According to Fushun’s Urban Construction Bureau, the “Ring of Life” means “a round sky and a path leading to a paradise in heaven.”
I believe it. And so does the internet. Check out the photoshops at the end of this post. [CRI English and Livedoor (Chinese) via The Atlantic]
I await our Ori overlords with open arms…….
Zomg, you’re right. Where’s Ben Browder?
…and there goes any notion that nerds might be cool.
Live long and prosper.
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/11/is-being-called-a-geek-or-a-nerd-flattering-now/
I’ve always been proud of being a geek/nerd – and being cool is the first rule of not being cool. So glad not to be cool, and always will be!
all hallowed are the Ori
and around 35 million Chinese live under the official dollar-a-day poverty line…
yeah,.. and they say Communism works.
7% growth per annum not enough for you?
It hasn’t always worked for them, but something is certainly working for them now.
They’re not really communists. They are a pretty capitalist society from what I’ve heard. Communism would work if it was ever implemented, but it’s not nor has it ever been.
*implemented properly.
I dont think communism ever will work as I think it is seriously flawed huamns are inherently selfish, competetive and lazy we wont work for the sake of working and if we do its for personal gain and if we dont get recognise by having the biggest or best whatever then we wont do it.
This! I always say this. I would go even further to say that, due to human nature, it can never truly be implemented either. Capitalism doesn’t work either and for the same reasons.
By which you probably mean socialist, and missed the rhetorical in my statement.
Either way, it’s depressing trying to justify growth for growths’ sake, when there are so many on the breadline.
I don’t pretend to know what the answer is, just an observation that mimics this country too. Rich get richer, poor take the brunt.
The poor are getting richer too. Poverty was at an astonishing 85% in 1981, but it’s now more like 15%. Economic growth was largely responsible for that.
However, inequality has also increased. The gap between rich and poor is larger than it ever has been. I’m just saying it’s not all bad, and millions of people have benefited from China’s incredible growth.
Poverty is when you are unable to live, not when you cannot have the un-needed things in life… China’s poor are actually in poverty but not so here.
The difference between rich and poor is irrelevant, beyond any effect it has on the purchasing power of the poor. The purchasing power here of the poor has increased massively, the fact they haven’t used it well is largely irrelevant to that. Trying to make a more equal society by force (either physical or fiscal) doesn’t actually help. It only results in the top being dragged down closer to the bottom. To get it working properly, you need to encourage the bottom to rise, something our current benefits system positively discourages.
Ok. You tell that to the “poor” who work, pay taxes and don’t claim benefits, but STILL struggle to pay for basic food staples and their heating, whilst corporate companies like Centrica boast billions in profits and still increase their prices.
You do realise that the purchasing power of the poor is continually dominated by the rich wanting more? Centrica is one fine example. Example, they run an energy efficiency scheme to get people to use less power. The problem, their shareholders get less return. The result, over inflation increased fuel prices.
Go Google UK fuel and food poverty, and tell me it’s still all about the benefit fraudsters buying PS3s and flashy trainers.
Better yet.. sit and watch Children in Need later tonight and realise it everyday families in the UK are “poor”.
Perhaps they were inspired by the London Eye?
PPppprrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeciooousss !!!
It either a Portal as out of the film Contact….Or one of those Dyson thingy-majigs.
Maybe they are building one giant cock ring for when they decide to fuck us over and make us work in factories for them…
OMG Get SG-1 Here now!!!!
how is this any different than the St Louis Arch? equally pointless and amazing and bound to be a big tourist draw.
Part of The Array?
10 million eh? if that was done over here you would imagine 10x that price.
joys of slave labour eh?
i actually think it looks pretty cool though. is it one of those dyson heaters?
It looks like a giant Dyson Airflow…
http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20091012/Dyson_Fan1.jpg
see above…
It’s the inside of a Mass Effect relay! The Chinese are bringing in The Reapers!
that’s farcaster, obviously
STARGATE!
Halo Ring anyone?