Tofu-dreg project

Tofu-dreg project
Chinese豆腐渣工程
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyindòufu zhā gōngchéng
Gwoyeu Romatzyhdowfu ja gongcherng
Wade–Gilestou4-fu cha1 kung1-ch'eng2
IPA[tôʊfu ʈʂá kʊ́ŋʈʂʰə̌ŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationdauh-fuh jā gūng-chìhng
Jyutpingdau6 fu6 zaa1 gung1 cing4
IPA[tɐw˨ fu˨ tsa˥ kʊŋ˥ tsʰɪŋ˩]

"Tofu-dreg project" (Chinese: 豆腐渣工程) is a phrase used in the Chinese-speaking world to describe a poorly constructed building, sometimes called just "Tofu buildings". The phrase was coined by Zhu Rongji, the former premier of the People's Republic of China, on a 1998 visit to Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province to describe poorly-built levees in the Yangtze River.[1] The phrase is notably used referring to buildings collapsed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake disaster.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

In China, the term tofu dregs (the pieces left over after making tofu) is widely used as a metaphor for shoddy work, hence the implication that a "tofu-dreg project" is a poorly executed project.[8]

According to Chinese architect Li Hu, tofu-dreg projects in China are vastly outnumbered by buildings without construction flaws. Li said that in most cases, ill-constructed buildings do not collapse but merely have a reduced lifespan or leakages.[9]

  1. ^ Cary, Eve. "China's Dangerous Tofu Projects". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  2. ^ Shuk-ting, Kinnia Yau (2013-12-05). Natural Disaster and Reconstruction in Asian Economies: A Global Synthesis of Shared Experiences. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-36416-6.
  3. ^ "墨西哥地震學校倒塌 豆腐渣工程核准人判208年 | 國際 | 中央社 CNA". www.cna.com.tw (in Chinese). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  4. ^ "糗！正恩建設是「豆腐渣工程」 強風一來屋頂直接被吹翻 | ETtoday國際新聞 | ETtoday新聞雲". www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). 30 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  5. ^ "20秒害死502人：26年前的豆腐渣工程，成为韩国人永远的痛_湃客_澎湃新闻-The Paper". www.thepaper.cn. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  6. ^ "新加坡惊现建筑"豆腐渣"工程". 南洋视界. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  7. ^ 新加坡眼 (2016-06-19). "新加坡也有豆腐渣工程，倒下的瞬间，太吓人了！". 新加坡眼 (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  8. ^ "Rising death toll, popular anger in China quake". World Socialist Web Site. May 21, 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-03-16. Pu Changxue, whose son Pu Tong died crushed in a classroom, said: 'This was a tofu dregs project and the government should assume responsibility' (...) Tofu dregs—the messy leftovers after making bean curd—are a common expression for low-quality work.
  9. ^ Rizzardi, Pier Alessio; Hankun, Zhang (2018). The Condition of Chinese Architecture. TCA Think Tank. ISBN 978-1-9164537-0-8.