A stunningly-designed, environmentally-friendly, and spectacular piece of modern architecture
Parkview Green FangCaoDi is in one of Beijing's prime locations, on the DongDaQiao Road thoroughfare, next to the tree-lined diplomatic zone and adjacent to glorious, imperial-era Ritan Park. Beijing has never seen a building like Parkview Green FangCaoDi before – a stunningly-designed, environmentally-friendly structure that is set to become an iconic landmark of the capital city. It is a spectacular piece of modern architecture, located right in the heart of the Central Business District, with office towers, a shopping mall, an art centre and a boutique hotel.
The Neighborhood
Fangcaodi has become increasingly young and dynamic
Located in Fangcaodi (literally in Chinese, “green, grassy area”) on the south side of Chaowai Avenue, famous for its ability to conjure up beautiful images of verdant greenery, the location has since ancient times been known as one of Beijing's most beautiful location names.
During the Ming Dynasty, Fangcaodi was home to a myriad pastures and fields, the area outside of the Chaoyang Gate later becoming the military commanders’ offices during the Qing Dynasty. The green area at the eastern end of the East Bridge meanwhile remained the main grain shipment artery from Tongzhou to the capital during the Ming dynasty. Historically, grain was transported from the south along water routes to Tongzhou, before then being moved overland to the capital. It then entered the city through the Chaoyang Gate. The East Bridge at the time formed a bottleneck three miles from the city gates, and the massive grain transport trains provided a major boost to the neighbourhood’s prosperity, the streets becoming lined not only with shops, but also cart repair yards.
The composition of calligraphy master Wang Daguan’s masterpiece "A Look Around Old Beijing”, that of Northern Song master’s "Up the River to the Capital" share the same purpose, to show the revival of China’s capital. The focal points of these paintings portrays the downtown scenes on both sides of the East Bridge. The Fangcaodi or "Green-Grass Area" name was officially adopted during the Republican era, and is mentioned in Place Names of Beiping, published in 1933.
Over the course of history, Fangcaodi has become increasingly young and dynamic. In the early days of the People’s Republic, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles’ Arts, Drama, Music and Composers’ Associations established dormitories here, and many names familiar to the cultural world, such as Zhao Shuli, Tu’an, Tang Shi, Ai Qing, and others spent many unforgettable years here.
Today, Parkview Green, home to offices, a hotel and a shopping centre, leads the industry with its innovative technologies and green environmental protection concept, and its location here now adds new meaning and vitality to this luxuriant green space!
