The Wuxi White House

I’m just back from an interesting couple of days in Wuxi, and I promise to resume substantive blogging over the weekend. In the meantime, though, a photo of a building that Wuxi’s locals (especially local government officials) like to call the “White House.” They also like to ask visiting Americans (at least, this visiting American) whether they agree that it looks like the White House.

In the foreground is one of the several fish farms that cover dozens of (undeveloped) acres behind the White House. It is unlikely to remain for long, though. The White House is the heart of a high-tech development zone (it houses software firms, not government officials), and just next door is a CD-manufacturing facility.

[UPDATE: Yes, I’m aware it resembles the US Capitol building more than the White House. And, yes, I tried to explain that.]

[UPDATE 4/24: Danwei’s Front Page of the Day has an interesting post on another Chinese “White House” that looks like the US Capitol. In comment #8, below, Wang explains: “I was a little bit intrigued until I realized that in China, the executive branch is everything, and the legislative body, the People’s Congress, is all but a decoration. And Chinese people know this. No one, I think, will admit that their latest and greatest development project looks like the American version of the Chinese rubber stamp, which is much, much less impressive.” Take a look at the full comment below.]

10 comments

  1. The dude is right, it totally looks like Close Encounters. Did they offer you a ride on the Mother Ship?

  2. This is one the best pictures I have ever seen you take. Time you invested in a real camera. Keep taking us to these fantastic places.

    Thanks,

    Erik

  3. Obviously, they have never even seen a picture of the White House. The US Capital may be. But certainly not the White House.

  4. 2 years ago I was giving a chinese friend a tour of DC while being helped with my chinese language skills. We ran into some more chinese tourists and went to lafayette square to see the back of the whitehouse. They were disappointed that it was smaller and plainer than they thought it should be.

  5. that’s the huishan economic area, right? i was there two days ago. the new “western-style” buildings are so cheesy, with their chandeliers and faux gold trimmings.

  6. Colin – Yep, Huishan it is. Did you get a look at the bronzed Greek discus thrower in the Olympic Park housing development across the street from the White House?

  7. This is my 2c why they call this the “white house”.
    The seeming confusion is not isolated. There are other occurrence of Chinese copycat “white house”, which this building, and several others, are supposed to resemble according to the locals, and the U.S. capitol, which it is really modeled after. I was a little bit intrigued until I realized that in China, the executive branch is everything, and the legislative body, the People’s Congress, is all but a decoration. And Chinese people know this. No one, I think, will admit that their latest and greatest development project looks like the American version of the Chinese rubber stamp, which is much, much less impressive. On the other hand, they would have copied the real presidential residence had it been larger. So, in the end, the Chinese have both retained the grandeur of the taller building and the mental association of the more famous one. The only sacrifice, of course, is a change of name.

  8. Wang – Thanks for the great, informative comment. It’s one of the best that’s been left on this blog, and I hope that it won’t be the last.

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