Even before the Forbidden City, architecture has always been a way for China to display its wealth and power. But in 21st-century China, these statement buildings have taken a peculiar turn. For a time, flamboyant designs by renowned architects became a shortcut for Chinese cities to showcase their resources and put themselves on the map.

From a teapot-shaped exhibition hall to an egg-shaped stadium, China has sought to assert its superpower status with some extraordinary architecture. Click or scroll to discover more about them…

Resembling an old Chinese coin, the Fangyuan Mansion, which was completed in 2001, was designed by Taiwanese architect C.Y. Lee, the man behind the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan, Taipei 101.

Located in Shenyang, China, the 24-storey office block cost nearly $500 million (£404m) to build and, on the architect's website claims to use "the Oriental cultural essence of 'Fang Yi Zhi—Yhan Er Shen'" a mixture of ancient philosophy and a Chinese deity, to..."manifest the city’s soul".

In reimagining an old Chinese coin with steel and concrete, Lee aimed to blend old and new, east and west, underlining the hope for peace and harmony across the world.

However, the Fangyuan Mansion was voted amongst the top ten ugly buildings by CNN in 2012. But it was also crowned most creative building at an architectural design convention in Venice the same year. Beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder.

When Shenfu New Town was forming between two industrial cities (Shenyang and Fushun) in the northeast of China, local authorities wanted a sightseeing landmark to attract tourists to the area. Thus was born the circle-shaped 'Ring of Life', standing 515 feet high and costing almost $16 million (£13.2m) to build according to Atlas Obscura.

Constructed from 3,000 tonnes of steel, the structure is lit up by 12,000 LED lights and features a viewing platform accessed via four elevators. Plans to use it as a premier bungee jumping location were abandoned when it was decided the circle was too high though... 

Completed in 2012, the eye-catching structure was designed by Gary Goddard, the man behind many of the world’s top theme parks, and stands as showpiece landmark in the newly created Shenfu New Town, 450 miles northeast of Beijing. “It’s a symbol of life in a state of balance,” he told PR Newswire.

Some of the country’s most admired buildings were constructed ahead of the 2008 Olympics. For example, China spent $480 million (£373m) to create its 90,000-seat 'Bird’s Nest' National Stadium as a show of its economic clout.

Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, with the collaboration of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, and working with Arup and the China Architectural Design and Research Group, it’s a stunning structure in steel and concrete. It was described by one of its creators as “an architectural forest”, says The Guardian.

Lit up by fireworks during the opening ceremony, the 226-foot-high structure weighs nearly 42,000 tonnes and was inspired by Chinese ceramics. Its red concrete arena is circular so everyone has a clear view of the action and its roof is a simple membrane to keep out sun and rain.

Set among landscaped gardens, it was the signature building of the Beijing Olympic Games. It now hosts sporting and cultural events and costs $11 million (£8.8m) per year to maintain. 

Beijing really pulled out all the stops when it hosted the 2008 Olympics. Right next door to the iconic 'Bird’s Nest' is the National Aquatics Centre, which appears to be constructed from thousands of giant soap bubbles. The ‘Water Cube’, as it is also known, was chosen by the Chinese people from 10 proposals in an international architectural competition.

Designed by two Australian companies, PTW Architects and Ove Arup, with support from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and the CSCEC Shenzhen Design Institute, the 'bubble' facade is in fact ethyl tetrofluoroethylene a material that weighs just 1% of glass and is a better thermal insulator. Around 20% of solar energy is trapped and used for heating the interior.

Measuring 600 feet long and wide and 100 feet high, the soap bubble structure is able to absorb huge amounts of solar energy which are used to heat and light the interior. The daylight allowed into the cube saves up to 55% on the lighting energy required for the leisure pool hall.

Enclosed within the glistening walls are five swimming pools (including a wave machine and rides), a restaurant and seating facilities for 17,000 spectators, say Arup. It is thought to be Asia's largest water park.

The centre was repurposed and renamed the 'Ice Cube' for the curling venue in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and now hosts several competitions and training events for swimmers and divers year-round.

Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, Beijing’s National Grand Theatre, also known as the ‘Giant Egg’, looks like a futuristic space ship hovering over a serene lake.

Built at a cost of 2.7 billion yuan ($225m/£180m), the building is surrounded by water and is covered by a titanium and glass outer shell. The building is connected to the shore by way of a 197-foot-long transparent underpass, leaving the exterior of the building intact, without any openings above the water level, which gives it its magical appearance. It's especially pretty at night. 

Just a stone’s throw from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, the complex includes a 2,416-seat opera house, a 2,017-seat concert hall, plus a 1,040-seat theatre which host the world’s best orchestras, operas and musicals.

It's all housed within its 490,485-square-foot dome, which is the largest of its kind in Asia. “It’s a tale of people discovering paradise, a dream fiction. That’s what theatre and opera are after all,” commented architect Paul Andreu.

Not all of China’s unusual buildings have attracted such lofty acclaim. When the new headquarters of the People’s Daily newspaper, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese ruling party, was under construction in 2013 it became an object of ridicule among Chinese citizens for bearing an unfortunate resemblance to part of the male anatomy.

Designed by Chinese architect Zhou Qi and his team, the building stands 590 feet tall and is located near the headquarters of the state-run television station, CCTV. Speaking with The Guardian, Zhou claimed that the elongated spherical form was designed to recall the Chinese character for "people" when viewed from above.

The finished article managed rise above its initial criticisms. The 33-storey skyscraper looked a lot more sleek and impressive when it was completed in 2015.

In an attempt to reflect local tradition, the architects used glazed terracotta to cover the 3-D round shapes, which is a traditional Chinese material, reports The Daily Mail. The effort paid off and the building won the A’Design Award, dubbed the world’s largest design competition, the following year.

Not unlike an enormous piece of LEGO stomping its way through Beijing’s business district, it’s not difficult to see why the China Central Television (CCTV) building has been nicknamed “Big pants” and “Giant trousers”.

The futuristic design is by Dutch architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren and features two towers leaning towards each other, forming two 246-foot buildings, connected on their upper floors by a 75-metre cantilevered linking element. It looks even more impressive when lit up at night...

Unlike traditional vertical skyscrapers the two towers, housing the headquarters and production facilities of China’s state-run television station, merge in an integrated loop allowing people to move freely from one building to the other.

The 54-storey, 768-foot-tall building became an instant icon when it was completed in 2012 and appeared on Time Magazine’s list of ten best architectural marvels.

Given its tea tradition stretching back centuries, it’s probably not too surprising to discover that there are several teapot-shaped buildings in China, including the well-known Meitan Tea Museum.

The Wanda Cultural Centre in suburban Wuxi seen here, was inspired by traditional clay teapots and is considered the largest teapot-shaped building in the world. 

The 128-foot-high structure certainly stands out amidst the busy morning traffic in this image. The building, which has a diameter of 164 feet, was constructed with aluminium and stained-glass sheets as part of the Wuxi Wanda Cultural Tourism City Project.

With three floors and nearly 54,000 square feet of floor space, there is ample room for its regular exhibitions and even, according to reports, a roller coaster, Ferris wheel and water park. Presumably, they have managed to fit in some tea rooms too!

Surely one of the most unusual places to spend the night, the Tianzi Hotel in Langfang, about an hour outside Beijing, was constructed to resemble three ancient Chinese gods, Fu (centre, in red), Lu (far right) and Shou (far left), who are symbols of fortune, prosperity, and longevity.

The 10-storey structure holds a Guinness World Record as the largest “image building” in the world, but was also ranked China’s ugliest building in 2012. We cannot agree - it's too fun!

Tianzi Hotel may be a multi-coloured sight, but it does have some clever design tricks up those (literal) sleeves. For example, the windows are strategically placed to follow the pattern of the gods’ robes and the entrance to the hotel is through Fu's feet.

You'll notice that Shou is holding a peach (considered lucky in China). Not just a nod to the god's image across traditional Chinese iconography, the hotel’s most unique suite is located inside the lucky peach, says The China Guide.

Meanwhile, the Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort, which is shaped like a giant horseshoe, was designed by Ma Yansong from Beijing Studio MAD and opened in 2013.

Located on Tai Lake, in Huzhou, Jiangsu province, west of Shanghai, the 27-storey luxury hotel, which has been nicknamed the ‘Doughnut Hotel’, provides amazing views from every room due to its wonderfully odd, annular shape, says ArchDaily. 

Its unique structure, which is covered with layers of fine-textured white aluminium rings and glass, looms large over its lake-side setting, casting stunning reflections over the surface of the water, especially at night when the hotel is lit up. No wonder locals call it ‘Moon Hotel’.

Architect Ma Yansong says the shape was inspired by traditional Chinese bridges and is based on the idea of unity and infinity.

Sitting on an artificial lake in Wujin, the ‘Lotus Building’ is probably one of China’s more aesthetically pleasing, although strange, structures. The building is composed of steel ‘petals’ that can move from a bud-like appearance to that of a fully opened bloom. 

Designed and constructed by Australian architects Studio 505 in 2013, it was (perhaps obviously) inspired by a blooming lotus flower and intended to act as a cultural anchor and civic landmark. Today houses an exhibition hall and conference centre.

A combination of white, beige and stainless steel hexagon mosaic tiles were laid by hand to cover all external and internal surfaces. A visitor enters from beneath the giant petals and emerges into a cathedral-like expansive atrium, where colour and light combine to create an uplifting atmosphere. 

Smart as well as beautiful, the project is designed to minimise energy usage by using geothermal piles and the surrounding artificial lake to regulate the internal temperature. And with its night lighting system, devised to hold a series of changing natural colour combinations, it's no wonder it’s become one of the most popular landmarks in Wujin.

Circles certainly seem to feature heavily in Chinese architecture. The doughnut-shaped Guangzhou Circle was intended to resemble an ancient Chinese jade disc but most people know it as the "flashy rich people’s circle", reports Bloomberg.

Designed by Italian architect Joseph di Pasquale, the 33-storey, 453-foot-high structure is located on the banks of the Zhujiang River in Guangdong province and is the tallest building of its shape in the world, reports Atlas Obscura.

Home to two extremely wealthy entities, the Hongda Xingye Group and the Guangdong Plastic Exchange, the building has also, rather appropriately, been likened to an ancient Chinese copper coin.

When reflected in the water as seen here, the building forms a figure-of-eight, a popular number in Chinese culture due to its association with prosperity and its symbolic representation of infinity. You can’t enter the building, although it only houses offices for now, but you can spot it from the banks of the river or there is a public plaza in front of the building for taking pictures.

Looking like a rocket poised to take off into the sky, the Oriental Pearl Tower at 1,535 feet, is the third tallest structure in Shanghai.

Designed by architects Jia Huan Cheng, Zhang Xiulin, and Lin Benlin, the TV tower was completed in 1994 and boasts a 876-foot-high revolving restaurant, making it the second highest dining area in Asia, says Shanghai Highlights. The tower is classified as a 5A scenic area by the National Tourism Administration of China, meaning spectacular views.

Supported by three gigantic columns, there are three main sightseeing floors located inside what looks like from afar three bejewelled spheres. The columns are sturdy, they need to be to support the building's weight of around 120,000 tons, which is approximately equal to 80,000 cars.

The Space Capsule at the top of the structure, at around 850 feet above ground level, is the main sightseeing space and where a glass-bottomed corridor provides a 360-degree view of Shanghai. There are two more viewing platforms at different heights from the second sphere, while Oriental Pearl Science Fantasy World is located in the first sphere.

After building a 'bird’s nest', 'egg' and 'a pair of big pants', China can even boast a structure that has been likened to a giant boot.

L’Avenue luxury shopping centre in Shanghai, also known as the Louis Vuitton Building, was designed by Japanese architect Jun Aoki and his associates, who say the 28-storey building “has been shaped to evoke the soft folds of a Fortuny dress” (Mariano Fortuny was a painter, inventor, photographer, and fashion designer best known for his dress and textile designs).

The L-shaped boot tower is probably one of the more aesthetically-pleasing of the bizarre buildings. It houses the Louis Vuitton flagship store after all.

But changes are afoot, thanks to the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, who declared an end to the more “weird” and “xenocentric” buildings in 2016 according to Bloomberg, calling for future projects to be “suitable, economic, green, and pleasing to the eye.” That’s probably a good thing, but not nearly as much fun!

Love this? Follow us on Facebook for more weird and wonderful buildings