Circle

Author: SOHO Weekly Editorial Department
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The same author, different words. As a non-publicly distributed internal publication, SOHO Weekly offers unique perspectives and viewpoints, providing different sorts of sorting and interpretation for the city we live in and related lifestyles. The quality of social life can still be measured by such standards: in a well-functioning society, people enjoy greater freedom and are less suppressed; whereas in a poorly functioning society, people have limited space for free living and fewer choices, with their desires heavily suppressed. – Li Yinhe
Shanghai has too orderly and neat stone forests, as well as the overly stable inclination of its middle class. It lacks audacity and wildness. Beijing, on the other hand, presents a certain contradictory charm because it is less accessible. It’s like a sudden appearance, infinitely mysterious man, carrying infinite possibilities inflated by imagination. – Anni
My only plea is that the construction of the new Beijing and the Greater Beijing should uphold the concepts of beauty and reasonableness. It should respect the classical order of Beijing’s cityscape as its predecessors did when they had to transform Tiananmen Square half a century ago. – Wang Lixiang
The destruction of classics is unquestionable, and the fate of traditions is also unquestionable. Will there be anything left to debate in another fifty years? – Liu Suli
Today’s young people are immersed in office buildings and endless cocktail parties discussing investments and revenues. They are indifferent to their spiritual lives, uninterested in social issues, and even lack passion for love. The richness and layers of youth are simplified into monotony by greed, restlessness, and speculative fervor. – Xu Zhixuan
We are destined to be rootless people, and there will come a time when leaves fall, but perhaps then, we can only drift like a feather in the wind at the beginning of Forrest Gump. Although I know where the roots are, Mom, I can no longer find the way home. – Bai Yansong
The gap between the east and the west is widening. Mainly, the Western developed countries of today, armed with science and democracy like a wave, have long surpassed the "steppe wolves" of yesteryear in strength, sweeping across Europe and Asia. – Jiang Rong
From a sociological perspective, China’s social structure hasn’t changed much in recent years. And this "lack of change" actually signifies a very significant transformation: the stratification of Chinese society has become rigid. I’ve summarized three points: boundaries between classes, identity within classes, and the normalization of social mobility. Now, there’s barely any drastic shift in social classes caused by institutional changes in the 1980s. In short, who’s poor and who’s rich is now largely set in stone. – Sun Liping
This book is a collection of articles from the internal newsletter of Pan Shiyi’s company. Speaking about the motivation behind publishing it, Pan, who rushed over from the Beijing Global Wealth Forum early in the morning, explained in his lighthearted "Pan-style" language: For a construction company like ours, ideas are essential. As the chairman of SOHO China, Pan Shiyi has long been renowned for creating concepts and cultural events. He once published his first development project, Modern City, in book form, pioneering a new publishing method and commercial promotion strategy. Today, with a new book born from the company’s internal newsletter, Pan has once again shared his insights.
Famous architect Rem Koolhaas wrote a book about architecture, but the content dedicated to architecture itself is surprisingly scarce. His core idea is: Good architecture reflects the spirit of the times. As developers, we are also inseparable from the spirit of the times. If we don’t understand the basic characteristics of this era, what we create will be no different from children’s building blocks—it won’t be what people of this time need, nor will it become a significant or landmark product of this era. – Pan Shiyi
Under this philosophy, Pan has been building houses while continuously releasing cultural and artistic works, believing that this brings true value to society. Today, SOHO Weekly, the internal newsletter of Pan’s company, has not only become a must-read in the real estate industry but has also expanded into the cultural and intellectual circles, its influence far exceeding that of a mere corporate newsletter, becoming one of the most highly regarded publications in China. The book Circles, released by Yangtze Literature Publishing House this time, is a new processing and systematic summary of the best articles published over the years.
When asked why developers create internal newsletters, Pan said: There’s only one purpose—to communicate. In China’s unique real estate market, which primarily relies on pre-sale housing, it’s especially important for companies to build good communication with consumers to gain their trust. However, in SOHO Weekly, one can’t find a single piece of property advertisement. From start to finish, the articles and images are more like those of a humanities magazine, with only a notice of a recent customer networking event posted on the last page. But why? Pan explained: Now, almost all development companies are enthusiastic about creating internal newsletters, but many of them are too rigid. The problem lies in two aspects: first, they only talk about their own small circle, with too narrow a perspective; second, they advertise themselves, which annoys readers. Because people are very busy now—just reading your newsletter is already a great affirmation of you, so don’t be too greedy. We’ve also made some mistakes early on, but now we’ve found a balance between commercial communication and mass reading. From this internal newsletter, you’ll find it doesn’t have a fixed or clear purpose—each issue explores a different topic, offering diverse thoughts and cultural perspectives. This non-fixed format brings vitality and dynamism.