The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology, 2026, 8(3); doi: 10.25236/FSST.2026.080306.
Mingxin Zhang
Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, 315100, China
In modern cities, the significance of landmark buildings often goes beyond their spatial functions, becoming a visual domain where power narratives, capital logic, and public discourse interweave. This paper takes the China Central Television Headquarters (CCTV headquarters) as a case, using Guy Debord's theory of the The Society of the Spectacle, and examines the spectacle operation of the building from three dimensions: Construction of the governmental spectacle, capital spectacle appreciation, and public ridicule and dismissal. The analysis shows that the government uses the CCTV headquarters as a visual symbol of official authority; the capital transforms this authoritative symbol into consumption value, making the CCTV headquarters a symbol for property premium and brand return; the public, through "Big Pants" and other playful expressions, daily dismembers it in their narrative tone. This paper employs an analysis based on Guy Debord's theory of the The Society of the Spectacle to reveal the dynamic negotiation process of the meaning production of landmark buildings.
CCTV headquarters, The Society of the Spectacle, consumerism
Mingxin Zhang. The Operation of the Spectacle in Architecture: A Case Study of the CCTV Headquarters. The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 3: 39-43. https://doi.org/10.25236/FSST.2026.080306.
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