8 Incredible Buildings You Must See in Beijing

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Discover The Most Incredible Buildings in Beijing

With its ever-changing skyline, it seems like a new building is erected in Beijing every day, but the Chinese capital is not inhabited by ordinary skyscrapers.

Many of the strange and wonderful buildings in the city resemble ubiquitous objects: a pair of pants, a mountain range, and a giant egg.

These extravagant buildings are a huge step up from the city's traditional imperial architecture. When Mao Zedong came to power in the mid-20th century, the traditional sìhéyuàn (courtyard-style houses) that populated the city were demolished and replaced by drab workers' houses, Soviet-style concrete apartment blocks, and vast avenues.

Some preserved hútòngs (alleys) remain within walking distance of large roads that were once full of bicycles and now in the shadows of architecture that pushes limits, gravity and resistance against earthquakes.

As China prepared for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the boom of crazy and wonderful architecture took off not only in the capital, but throughout China.

The world's most famous architects went to China to push the boundaries of design before the Games. The results have become symbols of China's power and modernity.

In 2014, President Xi Jinping called for an end to strange or strange Qiquíguàiguài architecture, which marks the horizons of many Chinese cities, such as the Guangzhou Yuan Building in Guangzhou and the Life Ring in the New Town of Shenfu in Liaoning Province.

Then, in 2016, the Chinese government formally declared an end to "oversized, xenocentric and bizarre" architecture.

But although the country has shifted to an architecture that claims to be "adequate, economical, green and pleasing to the eye," these buildings are left for the world to admire.

1. Wangjing SOHO

Midway between the Beijing Capital Airport and the city center, Wangjing SOHO is a trio of interlocking office and commercial buildings and a trio of pavilions that resemble a futuristic mountain range.

Designed by the late British Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher, the three towers, 387, 416 and 656 (200 m) tall, are surrounded by a 196,850-square-foot public park in Wangjing, a technology business hub in the northeast of Beijing.

The architectural marvel reaches 43 floors, including three levels of underground parking, one commercial floor below ground, two commercial floors above ground and 37 floors of offices.

Depending on the point of view, the buildings appear to be individual and, at other times, connected. Wangjing SOHO, commissioned by SOHO China, China's largest office real estate developer, is easily accessible for shopping via the subway.

2. China Central Television Headquarters

There's no missing the giant silver-gray headquarters of China Central Television, which has earned the nickname "big pants" because it looks like a pair of pants.

Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA, the $ 900 million building has 51 stories and rises 767 feet above Beijing's central business district.

The characteristic shape of the "pants" is obtained by the two leaning towers of the building that are in a perpendicular "loop" swinging 246 feet above the ground, mimicking indoor activities.

The building contains all the CCTV offices, television studios, broadcast and production facilities that were previously dispersed.

According to OMA, one tower houses offices and editing areas and the other houses newscasts with administration, which supervises the television manufacturing process, entering the dome.

The building is off-limits to visitors, but admirers can get an up-close, personal view of the outside from Jintaixizhao subway station and glimpse the countryside by watching the nightly news.

3. National Centre for the Performing Arts

Designed by the late French architect Paul Andreu, the National Center for Performing Arts resembles a giant egg.

Adjacent to Tian'anmen Square, the titanium and glass ellipsoid measures 698 feet long, 472 feet wide, and 150 feet high and contains a 2,017-seat concert hall, a 2,416-seat opera house, and a 1,040-seat theater. seating.

During the day, a 100-meter wide canopy illuminates the interior of the building. The imposing $ 400 million art complex opened in 2007 and thousands of people entered through the underwater entrance (the building is suspended over a shallow pool) to see celebrities such as Chinese pianist Lang Lang perform.

40-minute private guided tours are available by reservation for 200 RMB (about $ 28.50). A restaurant, a cafe, a souvenir shop, a music shop, and a bookstore are among the offerings for visitors and spectators.

4. Linda Haiyu Plaza

Lying along the East Fourth Ring Road in the Chaoyang district, Linda Haiyu Plaza is a series of buildings that, lined up, look like a fish.

The 259,186-square-foot complex includes a 19-story fishhead office building, three 15-story apartment buildings, a 20-story hotel, and two five-story commercial buildings. Linda Haiyu Plaza, also called Linda Fishing Plaza, has a supermarket, a restaurant, and a large marine fishing park.

5. Galaxy Soho

It took 30 months to complete Galaxy SOHO, a futuristic mixed-use office building in central Beijing. Designed by Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher, the 1 million-square-foot office, retail and entertainment complex is built with distinctive strips of aluminum and white glass, and the bridges connect its four continuous structures.

The fluid, cornerless design features interiors with huge courtyards, a reference to traditional Chinese architecture. The first three levels house commercial and entertainment spaces, the upper part of the building has bars, restaurants and cafes, and the middle floors are offices.

6. National Stadium

Nicknamed the Bird's Nest due to its steel façade that resembles a bird's nest, the 91,000-seat National Stadium has become a symbol of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It is where the opening ceremonies were held. and closing ceremony and is scheduled to host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron in consultation with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the stadium has a unique construction.

The stadium's red elliptical bowl is separated from its iconic twisted steel facade and saddle-shaped steel roof.

Around 41,875 tons of steel was used to build the stadium, which is part of Olympic Green, where visitors can view the Olympic displays, the Olympic torch platform, and stroll the walkways on the roof of the Bird's Nest.

7. National Aquatics Center

Known as the "Water Cube" thanks to its blue "bubble" ethylene tetrafluoroethylene walls, the $ 143 million National Aquatic Center was designed by Arup.

The 17,000-seat center is next to the Bird's Nest, which forms the Olympic Park in northern Beijing. Soap bubbles inspired the design of the blue rectangular building, and the Water Cube acts as a greenhouse with natural light penetrating the walls, not only providing light, but also heating the building and the pool water.

The Water Cube has five pools, a wave machine, toys, and a restaurant. The Water Cube is open to the public, who can see where world records were broken during Olympic swimming, diving and synchronized swimming competitions.

8. People’s Daily Headquarters

Completed in 2015, the phallic headquarters of the Daily People, located in Beijing's central business district, made headlines long before it was opened to employees of the state newspaper.

Designed by Zhou Qi, a professor of architecture at the Southeast University School of Architecture in Jiangsu, China, the 590-foot glass and terracotta tower is 36 stories high, including three subways.

Erected on the capital's skyscraper scene three years after the CCTV underwear-shaped state headquarters, the giant building was the butt of many jokes during its construction.

Its designer said that the building's elongated shape was made to look like the Chinese character 人 for people from an aerial view.

We hope you enjoy watching this video about the Most Amazing & Famous Architectural Buildings in the World

Source: ABSOLUTE ZERO

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