Straits-born Chinese – the Peranakan (which means “born of”) – are largely the descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to Indonesia, Malaysia, ans Singapore in the 17th century and married local women. The Peranakan culture, a hybrid southeast Asian culture of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences, also has esoteric Portuguese, Dutch and Indonesian traces. Peranakan architecture or also known as Chinese Baroque, Tropical Renaissance architecture amongst many other names, consists of rich and wide range of architectural vocabulary derived from the hybrid of that western and eastern styles and traditions. Photo taken in Pinang Peranakan Mansion.
Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves - Julia Morgan. The National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is located in the heart of old Beijing, close to the Great Hall of the People, Tian’anmen Square and the ancient Forbidden City. Colloquially described as The Giant Egg, this 149,500 square meter titanium and glass shell, in the shape of an ellipsoid, houses an opera house, a concert hall, and two theaters, as well as public spaces. The structure, surrounded by an artificial lake and green lawns and gardens, is seen as a cultural island in the middle of a lake.
If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite - William Blake. Besides its bas-reliefs, the Battle of the Gods gallery of Angkor Wat exhibits a mesmerizing architecture.
