Media scapes in China
The empire of figures transforms into connected media facades
Thomas, TS, Schielke
ERCO, arclighting
info@arclighting.de
ABSTRACT
Multiple connected buildings with one common animation have
emerged as a new type of media facade design. This development
is especially visible in China, where some of these light shows
were launched in connection with important national and inter-
national political events. Though many studies analyzed single
media facades, the research of large groups of media facades is rare.
Therefore, this paper introduces this development in the context
of cultural tradition and urban design in China and discusses the
meanings with regard to delivering identity, political communica-
tion, branding for tourism, night-time economy and sustainability.
The findings suggest that the local building tradition, urban design
history as well as the local political system are essential factors for
the significant rise of connected media facades in metropolises in
China. The results lead to the conclusion that the Chinese govern-
ment has the authority to control the urban night-time design by
using light shows to enhance local as well as national identity and
present technology leadership. Further on, the urban light shows
are a medium to stimulate the night-time economy. Sustainability
and investment costs are critical factors regarding the acceptance
of large-scale media facades.
CCS CONCEPTS
• Social and professional topics; • Cultural characteristics;
KEYWORDS
Media architecture, China, Architecture Theory
ACM Reference Format:
Thomas, TS, Schielke and Lin, LM, Ma. 2021. Media scapes in China: The
empire of figures transforms into connected media facades. In Media Archi-
tecture Biennale 20 (MAB20), June 28–July 02, 2021, Amsterdam and Utrecht,
Netherlands. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/
3469410.3469436
1 INTRODUCTION
The agglomeration of media facades in Chinese cities creates im-
pressive panoramic animations and has led to a new form of urban
identity at night (Fig. 1). Traditional Chinese values like appreci-
ation for abundance and characters seem to have a great impact
on the city development with its luminous expression at night.
An important factor for the rapid spread of these media scapes
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For all other uses, contact the owner/author(s).
MAB20, June 28–July 02, 2021, Amsterdam and Utrecht, Netherlands
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ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-9048-4/21/06.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3469410.3469436
221
Lin, LM, Ma
Fujian Feixiang Lighting Design
fionamar@126.com
across China derives from the Chinese government. Their powerful
organization and investment allowed the presentation of the first
nationwide animation for one event. On the other hand, it enhanced
national identity by delivering local culture, patriotic beliefs and
values on hundreds of illuminated skyscrapers. The governmental
authority in controlling animation of skyscraper groups is unique
worldwide.
2 RESEARCH METHOD
The study indicates why China has used large groups of media
facades for national identity and explains the luminous codes. In
order to identify which factors contributed to the development and
to evaluate the meaning, the analysis does not focus on technical
aspects but rather on historic development, social issues, political
communication and ecology. A case study illustrates the meaning
more in detail.
3 CULTURE, URBANISM AND MEDIA
FACADES
Due to the fact that large groups of connected media facades have an
urban origin, the aim is not targeted at individual architecture but
at urban design. Distance from the western-centric perspective on
urban space is helpful to understand Chinese ideas of scale and city
layout, argues Borgmann [6]. The root of the traditional Chinese
city is influenced by three philosophical concepts: Confucianism,
Daoism and yin and yang [31]. In addition, Chinese geomantic con-
cepts have an impact on the location of buildings. These concepts
have led to ideas of harmony and balance in urbanism. The ideal
city is conceived as a whole. Therefore, Lee suggests to view the
Chinese city as a monument in its entirety [31]. A characteristic
feature of modern China is the large scale and the concept of maxi-
mum quantities in urban development in China [52, 57]. Building
construction is at once political and something else like formal or
technological, argues Zhu [57].
Traditional landscape paintings, such as the masterpiece "A Thou-
sand Li of Rivers and Mountains" by Wang Ximeng reveal the idea
of multiplicity with hundreds of details that are slowly perceived
when the scroll is unrolled in a horizontal direction [57]. It rep-
resents a vision characterized by an abundance of signs and by
movement. For Shiqiao, the figuration gives rise to philosophical
and aesthetic forms and spaces [52]. The Chinese writing system
unites form and meaning and represents for him far more than just
a linguistic strategy. Chinese writing offers small narratives and
is placed in strategic positions. Contemporary Chinese, however,
display exaggerated forms of text and visually define the city in a
new way, Shiqiao noted. In this way, characters convey meanings.
The dynamic images that appear like giant television screens in
MAB20, June 28–July 02, 2021, Amsterdam and Utrecht, Netherlands
Figure 1: Light show with connected media facades for the 40th anniversary of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in Futian
Central Business District in Shenzhen, China. Lighting control by Osram / Traxon e:cue. Image ©Traxon e:cue.
Shanghai convey the message that they are paving the way for the
Chinese century, states Campanella [8].
The aspect of media architecture has been widely discussed as a
phenomenon of individual buildings that have a media facade and
seek for attention in their urban environment [23, 24]. However,
in recent years, Chinese cities have generated connected media
facades, creating an imagery of large animated panoramas. The
horizontal format of connected adjacent buildings transcends the
early phase of single media facades and evokes the impression
of an animated skyline like a landscape of digital images, which
could therefore be assigned to the term media scape introduced by
Appadurai for global cultural developments [2]. The idea of creating
large and spectacular images with dynamic colored electric lighting
with multiple buildings dates back to the World Exhibition in Paris
[37]. Jean-Michel Jarre presented early examples a temporary light
show with projections on several skyscraper with "Houston - A City
In Concert" in 1986 or "Paris La Défense - Une Ville En Concert" in
1990 [25]. The first major nighttime festival for daily shows emerged
in Hong Kong in 2004 with the "Symphony of Lights" show, which
was based on a coordinated effort between the civil and private
sectors [38]. The dramatic economic impact of the SARS epidemic
was one reason for the luminous branding for tourism, remarked
Petty [38]. An early example of a completely covered group of
buildings with media facades emerged with the "City of Dreams"
project of four tall towers in Macau in 2009 [7]. The Chinese city
of Nanchang took a big step in terms of the amount of connected
buildings with the launch of a light show in 2014. The award for
"Most buildings in a permanent light and sound show" by Guinness
World Records was achieved in 2015 with a total number of 293
building in Nanchang [21]. While cities like Lyon or Sydney have
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Thomas Schielke and Lin Ma
launched annual light festivals with "Fête des Lumières" or "Vivid
Sydney", China has invested in an infrastructure that allows the
country to present light shows on a daily basis.
4 CASE STUDY: G20 SUMMIT IN HANGZHOU,
2016
G20 is an international forum for governments and central bank
governors and was held in China for the first time in 2016. The
city of Hangzhou in eastern China received a multi-billion dollar
makeover for the major political event [40]. One third of the city’s
6 million residents were reportedly "persuaded" to leave the city
to avoid conflict between the international visitors and the local
population [41]. The site for the light show was in Qianjiang New
Town and consisted of a large public square and groups of skyscrap-
ers around it. According to the manufacturer, the cost for the G20
Summit venue was 24 million USD [16]. The animation included 35
buildings that could be viewed from different locations and across
the river [58]. In addition to the vertical buildings, the scenography
included two iconic buildings at the public square and a horizon-
tal building structure and a fountain. Most of the buildings have
media facades with dense vertical lines that transform into large
high-resolution screens. The G20 light show was composed of three
themes: "Soul of City", "Spirit of Water" and "Shadow of Light". Ac-
cording to CCTV, 4G wireless connection technology was used for
the first time to control the light show, which consumed 500kWh for
each act [9]. Furthermore, for the opening gala evening of the G20
summit, the performance "Hangzhou, A Living Poem" was shown at
the West Lake combining traditional Chinese music with Western
classical music and directed by Zhang Yimou [11]. After the G20
Media scapes in China
summit, both the West Lake show and the Qianjiang New Town
light show became permanent installations [13]. The common ani-
mation for all buildings included imagery of animals and plants that
emphasized naturalness, as well as high-speed trains and airplanes
that reinforced transportation, and cartoons for a playful impres-
sion of the urban stage [5]. The music included different styles such
as opera, pop or dance music. Since many citizens were sent from
the city, the G20 light show targeted international visitors and was
broadcast to a global audience through television and social media.
The large-scale media facade animation allowed China to send a
powerful signal as a technologically advanced country. Modernist
skyscrapers were transformed into urban scenography on this scale
for the first time at a major international political event. Similar
light shows with media facades were created for the BRICS Summit
in Xiamen (2017), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Sum-
mit in Quingdao (2018), the 70th Anniversary People’s Republic of
China (2019) and the 40th Anniversary in Shenzhen (2020).
5 DISCUSSION
The imagery of the media facades can be seen as a code that con-
veys different meanings [49]. Shifts in urban identity are analyzed,
followed by changes in political, technological, economic and eco-
logical domains.
5.1 Urban Identity
Considering that most major cities in China only emerged with the
economic liberalization in 1979, connected media facades provide
a spectacular medium as an alternative to historical landmarks or
conventional monuments to create an urban identity. The anima-
tions on the high-rise buildings seem to embody a fantastic utopia.
Urbanization and high-tech have led to smart, connected cities that
are more emotional at night with the luminous storytelling than
the glass skyscrapers during the day (Fig. 2). The diverse buildings
during the day are united into a common narrative at night. Chi-
nese light shows draw attention to modern central city districts,
while other countries also focus on urban projects that rediscover
historic elements, such as the High Line in New York. While public
squares enveloped with luminous screens on skyscrapers, such
as New York’s Times Square have a very commercial atmosphere,
Chinese media facade groups have so far avoided a commercial
identity. Luminous ornaments on building have a long tradition in
China and can still be found on temples as shimmering golden char-
acters [52]. With the advent of neon lighting, Chinese characters
were transformed into luminous signs and became characteristic of
the nighttime image of cities like Hong Kong [53]. While dynamic
images were based on an overlay of multiple neon lines, media
facades allow unprecedented flexibility of imagery. The ephemeral,
luminous ornaments of the media facades represent the desire for
a homogenous urban image when they connect a group of build-
ings. Haussmann worked in a similarly in Paris when he created
prestigious boulevards with classical ornaments on facades that
visually connected the buildings, in contrast to the different facade
materials in streets with contemporary architecture [51]. While
many places in the world have seen an increase in the number of
temporary light festivals [24], China has invested in media facades
with permanent light shows. A factor that should not be overlooked
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MAB20, June 28–July 02, 2021, Amsterdam and Utrecht, Netherlands
is that the light shows are always accompanied by on-site music,
ranging from traditional to pop. Thus, these light shows contribute
to the urban soundscape and the phonic identity of a city [45].
By presenting national symbols, media facades take on the role
of luminous monuments for the night, reminding citizens of social,
cultural and technological achievements. However, urban light
shows have an ambivalent relationship with cultural heritage. Their
content, which includes natural sea life, picturesque landscapes,
and historic architecture, expresses an appreciation for culture
and heritage, but the skyscrapers with their screens are part of
an intense urbanization movement that displaces the memory of
traditional culture and shows little respect for traditional small-scale
architecture and the incorporation of landscape design. Qi regards
the light show in the Forbidden City as a nightclub atmosphere
that does not adequately respect the rich cultural history [56].
5.2 Politics
Political leaders and governments have used urban lighting to at-
tract attention and spread their ideology. China is the first nation to
have used connected media facades as part of political events and
public relations. The idea of using outdoor lighting as part of politi-
cal communication can be found in the 20th century. The Nurem-
berg Rally with the "Cathedral of Light" in 1936 and Mussolini‘s
state visit with the "Via Triumphalis" on the Unter den Linden boule-
vard in Berlin in 1939 were part of the Nazi party’s propaganda to
create an emotional response. In this century, the art installation
"Countdown Machine" on Hong Kong’s tallest skyscraper in 2016
revealed the political impact of a single media facade, where the
artwork was cancelled after a short time due to diplomatic risks [3].
The impact of political crises on light shows was also evident in
Hong Kong’s 2019 anti-government protests, where the New Year’s
light show, with its dominant fireworks and media facades in the
background, was canceled [33]. China’s trend of investing in presti-
gious symbols for political representation in key urban locations is
visible in current large-scale construction projects such as Beijing
Airport [35]. The connected media facades could be considered an
urban expression with a similar representational impulse. The 2016
G20 Summit was the first time the Chinese government used the
new visual language of large urban animations as a communication
tool for a major international political event. However, the use of
media facades for political communication is not limited to China.
Media facades have embodied gestures to welcome presidential
visits from China, for example, when the United Arab Emirates
welcomed Xi Jinping’s state visit [27]. China itself used its media
facades to highlight its health policies against Covid-19 in several
cities [10, 50]. Two months after the nationwide celebration of the
70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, the Central
Party School of the Communist Party of China issued a notice
against extravagant landscape lighting installations [13]. This has
led to a very cautious assessment of new media facade projects in
China. Here, the influence of the government becomes very clear -
either in support of lighting displays to enhance identity, or in sup-
port of reducing or even stopping lighting displays to demonstrate
socially and financially responsible behavior.
MAB20, June 28–July 02, 2021, Amsterdam and Utrecht, Netherlands
Figure 2: Diagram of media facade choreography analyzing the storytelling with visual patterns, text, abstract and concrete
elements, movements, topics, sound and colors with regard to a light show in Hangzhou, China, 2017. Source: T. Schielke
5.3 Sociology
The spectacular light shows intensify urban nightlife and empha-
size diversity and change. Their size and the urban context of large
public squares or waterfronts seem to be geared towards the percep-
tion of large crowds rather than small groups. A publicly accessible
city is an important counterpoint to compact living [51]. The free
of charge light shows are available for all classes, regardless of their
income or status. The free light shows are available to all classes,
regardless of income or status. In other political systems that allow
citizens more freedom, the concept of facade lighting has been used
to address important social issues such as affordable housing [49],
but Chinese citizens may face problems in this case. Opening media
facades to the public on political issues, as in other countries [30],
will be a challenge for the Chinese government and the current
political attitudes.
5.4 Technology
The use of the latest software and hardware for connected me-
dia facades is not only a signal of technology leadership, but also
provides China with further opportunities to promote smart city
developments. Previously, Las Vegas and New York’s Times Square
represented leading centers for advanced lighting technology with
a focus on entertaining facades [26, 54]. The increasing number of
multiple connected media facade installations throughout China
leads to the impression that the technology leadership in urban
lighting and control technology has shifted from the USA to China,
similar to other high-tech developments [48]. The idea of connect-
ing media facades in different cities has been promoted by a network
supported by the European Union [42]. City-wide management of
media facades is not a unique Chinese feature, as it can also be
found in South Korea, but the number of cities seems to be much
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Thomas Schielke and Lin Ma
higher in China [32]. The desire to create world records with tech-
nologically advanced light shows has grown beyond architecture
as drones became part of events such as during the Olympics or
performances in Xian or Shanghai [4, 46].
5.5 Night-time Economy
Night-time economy includes areas like travel, accommodation,
restaurants, local transport as well as shopping and cultural events
and has been calculated for cities like Berlin [15]. The night time
economy is also an important factor for urban cities in China [19].
The free presentation of light shows attracts people in China and
could lead to more local consumption as well as tourism. Although
China seems to be interested in promoting the nighttime economy,
it is worth noting that unlike the screens in New York’s Times
Square or London’s Piccadilly Circus, there is little commercial or
corporate content shown. Urban illumination also has benefits for
lighting manufacturers. According to the Gaogong Industry Re-
search Institute, the market for illuminated scenic venues in China
reached 68 billion yuan ($9.88 billion) in 2017, with the value of
the market expected to rise to 100 billion in 2020, Yau explains [56].
The Wenzhou light show, for example, required a budget of about
$90 million [18]. However, Chinese lighting designer Qi Honghai
argued in an interview that much more light is consumed than
is needed, and the lighting industry is hiding from this develop-
ment [56]. From a real estate perspective, facade lighting offers a
branding opportunity to make buildings more attractive to tenants.
5.6 Ecology
The environmental discussion of lighting in China is influenced
from several directions: the Paris climate agreement signed by
China calls for a reduction in carbon emission [47]. In addition, to
Media scapes in China
prevent light pollution, advocates seek to minimize outdoor lighting.
The tourism industry, on the other hand, wants to attract visitors
with impressive light shows to boost the nighttime economy. The
China Research Development Foundation highlighted the environ-
mental challenge of light pollution from lighting as early as 2013
[12]. The level of brightness in China’s light shows is out of control,
notes lighting designer Honghai [56]. Measures to reduce energy
consumption and light pollution would benefit from regulations
that address technical aspects such as maximum brightness levels
and restricted light distribution.
6 LIMITATIONS
In-depth studies on the political, social, cultural, and economic
dimensions of different cities are necessary to provide a compre-
hensive analysis. Regarding the case studies, it was difficult to
obtain the relevant data because the designers, manufacturers, and
government did not want to share relevant data. Chinese academics
and citizens could face criticism, so highly critical feedback from
the Chinese population was not expected [39]. On-site interviews
in different cities would be desirable, but implementation was not
possible, especially for Covid-19. Future research would also al-
low a comprehensive account of the interviews conducted with
experts with cultural backgrounds from China, Europe, America,
and Australia.
7 CONCLUSION
The Chinese phenomenon of connected media facades with per-
manent light shows in several cities is unique in the world. Other
countries do not seem to have the same budget and organization to
establish comparable light shows. Values such as the appreciation
of abundance and the way figuration is applied to architecture can
be traced back to ancient Chinese urban planning and architec-
ture. The Chinese government has used this new type of media
architecture for important political events for representation. Ani-
mations, driven by local scenery and beliefs rather than commercial
purposes, have contributed to both local and national identity at
night. They can also have a significant impact on the nighttime
economy. The high-tech aspect has helped China present itself as a
global technology leader. From a sociological perspective, the mon-
umental installations and large public squares indicate that public
light shows target large audiences. The criticism of large media
facade installations arises from three aspects: The environment,
criticizing the increase of light pollution; design, pointing out the
insufficient respect for cultural heritage when dense skyscraper
skylines present images of beautiful landscapes and traditional
buildings; and government, reevaluating the large light shows in
terms of social and financial responsibility. The paper offers the
media architecture community an opportunity to better understand
the unique connection between national policy and connected me-
dia facades in China. It also points to the increasing scale of media
facade installations that create a new form of public space with daily
light shows, in contrast to previous research that often looked at in-
dividual buildings. Furthermore, the paper highlights the relevance
of interdisciplinary research on media facades.
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