Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
798 Art District
zi , is Beijing's leading concentration of contemporary art galleries. The vo-
luminous factory workshops are ideally suited to art galleries that require
space for multimedia installations and other ambitious projects. You could
easily spend half a day wandering around the complex.
CCTV BUILDING
(
Yangshi Dalou; 32 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu; Jintaixizhao
) Shaped like an
enormous pair of trousers, and known locally as Da Kucha , or Big Under-
pants, the astonishing CCTV Tower is an architect's wet dream. Its overhang
(the bum in the pants) seems to defy gravity and is made possible by an un-
usual engineering design which creates a three-dimensional cranked loop,
supported by an irregular grid on its surface.
Architecture
BIRD'S NEST WATER CUBE
( Guojia Tiyuchang Guojia Youyong Zhongxin;
Click here
Bird's Nest ¥50;
9am-5.30pm; Water Cube ¥30; 9am-6.30pm; Olympic Sports Centre)
Squinting in the sun, guards in ill-fitting black combat gear point the occasional
group of map-clutching domestic tourists to the signature National Stadium,
sional events are held here, but it's generally empty. Nevertheless, it's still an
iconic piece of architecture, as is the bubble-covered National Aquatics Centre
(aka the Water Cube) next door, which is at least being put to some use, now
Architecture
