January 5, 2008

Building China

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[img_assist|nid=26541|title=City in Transition|desc=Construction cranes are everywhere in Beijing as the city continues a trend of rapid growth.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0] Looking at all the construction in Beijing, we were left to wonder how any of the buildings could possibly be finished within six months (construction will be halted a few months before the games to allow time for the dust to settle). China apparently has developed methods for building incredibly quickly, as we toured a college campus built in a year and a half. 15,000 of Southeast University’s 30,000 students now live and study on an approximately $220 million, 93 square mile campus that did not exist in 2006. Southeast University Vice President Yuepu Pu said that several construction companies worked together 24 hours a day to complete the work.

A bit of background: Southeast University is located in Nanjing, a former capital of China – the name literally means south capital. The university, which is known for its science and engineering programs, has previously been called Sanjiang Normal College, National Southeast University, National Central University and Nanjing Institute of Technology. Founded in 1902, Southeast became one of China’s first coed universities in 1919.

*In Chinese, names are written with the family name first and given name last. The names of Chinese people in Sun articles are written in the English manner, however, consistent with other names.

Click here for more about The Sun’s trip to China