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CCTV CULTURAL CENTER FIRE > Beijing : China
savvy designers
> Despite the apparent
devastation, the structural
integrity of the building was
not compromised
> Zinc panels on the facade
provided fuel for the flames.
On the evening of February 9th,
2009, the nearly completed
CCTV Television Cultural
Center caught fire in a ravenous
blaze that could be seen from miles
away. The fire was reportedly ignited
by an illegal fireworks display as part
of the Lunar New Year festivities,
the most important traditional
holiday on the Chinese calendar. In
a culture that places great emphasis
on superstitions and omens, the
speculative implications of the inferno
did not go unnoticed. That didn’t keep
the Chinese Government from trying
to mute the public reaction, however.
Within hours of the blaze, a formal
notice was distributed to all of the
major news outlets in China, ordering
them to cease all reporting on the
CCTV fire. The notice specifically
banned photos, videos, and any indepth
reporting of the fire, and allowed
only the Xinhua (the official press
agency of the government) report to
be broadcast.
This tragically ironic situation only
intensified the already simmering
public resentment towards China
Central Television. Many citizens
expressed outright elation that the fire
had marred such a distinctive symbol
of government propaganda and
censorship. In the following weeks,
smaller blogs and online forums
were populated with photoshopped
parodies and memes of the fire, which
were quickly removed in many cases.
Fortunately, the major structural
systems of the building remained
intact, despite nearly $24 million in
damages. Over the past 3 years, a
massive renovation project has been
underway, though it is unclear when
the building plans to reopen. The
impending investigation into the
fire has resulted in charges against
21 people, including the head of
CCTV’s building department, who
was sentenced to 7 years in prison
for authorizing the illegal fireworks
display.
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