As if any of us needed further proof that China was the verge of reorienting the East-West axis, check out this first line from a recent Travel + Leisure feature: “China is in the midst of what may be the biggest building boom in human history, surpassing the creation of the Pyramids and the Great Wall.”

A bold statement, to be sure. The article backs up its claim with a survey of the fantastic new buildings coming up in Bejing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and elsewhere, some designed by Western firms and a heartening number designed by China’s own, including the first Chinese winner of the Pritzker Prize, which is to architecture what the Nobel is to literature.

For years, we’ve understood China to be an importer of ideas and creativity. They make good on the West’s creativity (re iPad et al), translating these ideas and all this creativity into hard (and affordable) durable goods. Indeed, the country still retains a reputation as a copy-cat. But that’s changing.

Soon, ideas from a culture that gave us paper, printing, the compass and gunpowder, will share their vision of the world. At Balcony, we’re witnessing the emergence of homegrown ideas on the hotel side as a new company, Ahn Luh, takes root in China, trading on its heritage and singular view of the contemporary world for new hotel concepts. There’s going to be a lot to like about this building boom.