Constructing heritage

There is something new to study, even in the Forbidden City: the Hall of Embodied Treasures, or Baoyun Lou, which was built in 1914 as a warehouse for cultural relics, two years after the monarchy fell.

"Unlike most ancient architecture that has lost its function and only remains as a site for studies or tourism, these recent constructions are still in use," he says. "They are living heritage."

The construction of 10 major landmarks, including the Great Hall of the People, the Workers Stadium and the National Art Museum of China, began in Beijing in 1959 as a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China.

With huge personnel costs, most projects were completed within mere months, including the time to draw the blueprints. They are often called the "10 great buildings".

"The architecture combines Chinese, Soviet and Western elements," Zou Denong, a professor at Tianjin University, says.

"These miraculous works reflect Chinese architects' explorations of new formats and mark a peak time in architecture in the country. The trend was followed by other cities in China."

Some don't see many constructions from the last century as "heritage" as they are not old enough, especially those built after 1949.

Ma Guoxin, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, says sufficient policy support to protect the heritage of the last century is still lacking. Some buildings have disappeared in China's fast urban development. Ma is a designer of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Tian'anmen Square and Terminal 2 of the Beijing Capital International Airport.