Fanyuang Building 方圆大厦 in Shenyang 沈阳
When I was arriving at Shenyang in Liaoning province the previous day, I saw a rather bizarre building just as we were entering the train station. The building seemed to be quite near the train station so I decided to visit it the next day. The finally got to visit this particularly strange building which has the dubious honor of being named one of China’s ugliest buildings (3rd) in 2011. Adding to its ignonimty, it placed 9th in the world in a poll by CNN. The building in question is the Fangyuan Building 方圆大厦.
Detail on the Fangyuan Building 方圆大厦
The name Fangyuan comes from its shape literally meaning “square and round”. As you can see, the building is in the shape of a Chinese coin which features both square and circle shapes. Interestingly, the architect was the same one who design the Taipei 101 building. In an effort to combine Chinese elements with Western design we came up with this rather interesting design. It was the type of building that made me say “What the hell…?” when we were arriving in Shenyang. It currently houses a hotel bearing its name and also a bank at the foot of the hotel. There doesn’t seem to be any other building that was as bizarre as this one in Shenyang. After a few snaps I proceeded to go to the train station.
Sunlight Glinting Off the Fangyuan Building 方圆大厦
The Shenyang Northern Railway station was the same one I got off from the previous day. It wasn’t modern like the one in Beijing or Shanghai. I was looking at the announcement board to see where I needed to go but I couldn’t find it. There was station staff who was guiding people where to go so I asked her for directions. It was then that she told me that I was in the wrong station and that I should have gone to the Shenyang East Railway Station. Wrong station?!! This ticket cost me more than CNY 200! It seems that the lady I purchased the ticket from didn’t know that the train I was boarding no longer departed from this station.
Fortunately, there was a man hanging around the area who offered to bring me to the Shenyang East Station. He said that he will guarantee that I will not miss my ride. It seems like he was a private car, not a taxi cab as I expected but this kind of thing is normal in China. In my confused state, he quickly whisked me off in the direction of the Shenyang East Railway Station. He kept repeating that I will not miss my ride or else he will refund me ticket. He was taking a road not for normal use and was beating every single red light saying that each breaking of traffic signal cost so much money when caught on camera. After a few exchanges that I realized that he was telling me that I needed to pay him CNY 200 for the cost of the trip! He was saying that I was responsible for the fines he will be incurring for because of the rush. This was outrageous!
Behind the Fangyuan Building 方圆大厦
At this point I was already protesting his terms with my limited Chinese. He also chose this time to be belligerent. I told him I don’t have any more money and I will not agree to his terms. He insisted that I pay up that amount or else I will be late. I replied that I will be willing to throw away the ticket but I will not give him a single cent because of this treachery. I insisted on getting off the vehicle hoping that there will be police nearby. He then calmed down and asked how much I can give him. I was only willing to give him CNY 50 for that since it was really an emergency anyway which he accepted. Upon arrival at the train station he asked for CNY 10 for the entrance into the station which he didn’t use at all since he just dropped me off at the gate.
I had make a made dash for the train, not easy when you have a lot of stuff with you. But I somehow managed to make it in time for the train with several minutes to spare. I got in a random car and just made my way to my designated seat. The train was not full so it didn’t really matter much where I sat and the inspectors didn’t really care either. That incident with that driver made me remember to always keep my wits about me. Although he didn’t hurt me, he was still the type of person you wish you don’t want to encounter. When travelling alone, I would be easy prey. For visitors to Shenyang, when moving on from this city, make sure you confirm, possibly with several people, which station you will be departing from. The ticket only says Shenyang Station 沈阳站, this means Shenyang East Station. If they mean Shenyang North Station, it would have said Shenyang North 沈阳北站. Keep this in mind and you will safe.
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