A new directive has been issued to ban architecture that is “oversized, xenocentric, weird” and called for buildings that are “suitable, economic, green and pleasing to the eye”.

For years, buildings that seem more art than building have been popping up across China. Perhaps the most famous example of which is the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters in Beijing which was widely lampooned as the “big pants”. Some have even compared it to someone taking a dump on the city.

Predictably, some in the Chinese government see it as a continuing source of embarrassment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s irritation at these unconventional structures is not new. As far back as 2014, he called for “no more weird architecture”. This year, it seems Chinese authorities are making that directive as official as they can.

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