ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the transformation of Chinese urban landscapes in the 1950s. It begins with an introduction to the Chinese government’s friendship rhetoric acclaiming Soviet socialist achievements, and goes on to explore how physical construction was used to substantiate the “language of modernity” in the rhetoric and altered the appearance of Chinese cities and the lifestyles of city dwellers. The discussion centers on the so-called “Sino-Soviet friendship buildings,” a new addition to Chinese cityscape that generated the construction of Soviet-style buildings across the country. These trends in architecture encouraged new beliefs and perspectives among urban residents.
