Being the economic capital of China, Shanghai's recent economic success has led to the development of a new social class that has companies of all types from around the world desperately trying to understand this unique market in order to quickly tap into it.

China has always been a place that has a foundation for high fashion - a populuation that insists on luxury goods in order to showcase social status. In Hong Kong, finding a watch store that sells Rolex is almost as common as finding a restaurant. In the mainland, the big fashion houses have become the place to go to when you think you've escaped the working class. It wasn't until just recently that China has seen the likes of avant-garde fashion, as this less pretentious style is becoming more and more accepted by the Chinese people. After the success of the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition in China by the Hong Kong based IT group, which has a growing presence in the Shanghai market as well, Comme des Garcons' exhibition in Beijing is set to further expose China to the other side of fashion.

It's being held at the historical 798 Art Zone, which was once just an area of equipment factories built by Germans. The architectural company behind the buildings was headquartered in the same city as the famous Bauhaus school, and shares many of its characteristics. These factories were then transformed into science and technology centers in 2000, and were rented out as art galleries, studios, and fashion shops because of their Bauhaus appeal. Quite fitting don't you think?

However, while China may be ready for Comme des Garcons, is it ready for the Olympics? I was listening to PRI's The World on KCRW last week and they had an interesting segment on the sustainability of China's rapid urbanization. With the Olympics coming up, it makes you wonder whether selecting China to host the Olympics was the right choice. Sure it's a great opportunity for the world to see how Deng Xiaoping renovated China into the economic powerhouse we see it as today, but the way in which China chooses to display this is rather misleading.

It seems like when a country wants to display its power, it erects a skyscraper. Some have succeeded, like Taiwan's Taipei 101, and some have failed, like the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea. China's use of skyscrapers falls in the middle. Yes, it has received recent economical success and can afford to line a harbor that seeks to emulate the famous Hong Kong harbor. However, these buildings do not display the detrimental impact on society they have. The rapid urbanization of China has led to an equally rapid deterioration of its environment, which can have a trickling effect on its society. One prime example would be the divergence of a river, formerly used to supply water to farmers of a local village, to fill a lake bed that has been dry for over nine years in order to have a venue for the rowing and sailing games during the Olympics. These farmers are now forced to dig new wells and find new sources of water while we enjoy the water competitions.