China’s architecture of yore, which dates back thousands of years, is known for its sound structure, brilliant use of horizontal space and intricate details. Today, however, China’s architecture is known for a new quality—weirdness—as architects strive to marry traditionalism and contemporary design.
Not everyone is keen on the fresh designs—most famously, Chinese president Xi Jinping, who’s wanted to replace them since 2014, and the Chinese government, which wants to outright ban it.
Why? It seems the buildings are more than an eyesore—China’s government believes that implementing prefabricated, less bizarre buildings will improve urban layouts in addition to standardizing skylines. We get it. A teapot museum shaped like a teapot or a skyscraper resembling a pair of pants isn’t exactly functional. But it is special, and we think China’s architectural anomalies deserve some celebration, especially if this is truly the end.
Flip through the gallery above to marvel at some of China’s best architectural eccentricities.
Sarra Sedghi is Paste Food’s Assistant Editor. She can usually be found arguing about mayonnaise on Twitter.
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Tianjin's "Porcelain House," built by collector Zhang Lianzhi in 2008, is composed of more than 400 million porcelain fragments, 5,000 ancient vases and 4,000 pieces of antique tableware. Aptly, the house acts as a museum and includes china in its displays.
Photo: China Photos/Getty
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Beijing's National Aquatics Centre, fondly known as the Water Cube, housed swimming competitions in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Today, it's a water park, but the Water Cube will resurface to host curling competitions in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Photo: Arcaid/UIG/Getty
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This fantastic housing complex in Chongqing was constructed in 2015. The three-layer structure is composed of nine houses and reaches 12 meters high.
Photo: Visual China Group/Getty
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A number of China's structures, such as this building in Pingluo, were built to resemble ancient coins and honor the country's unification under Qin Shi Huang in the 3rd century BCE.
Photo: Visual China Group/Getty
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This mixed-use building in Shijiazhuang marries traditional Beijing's Temple of Heaven and Washington D.C.'s Capitol Hill. Aside from bringing in tourists, the hybrid aims to serve as a film and television set.
Photo: Visual China Group/Getty
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Binzhou's Science and Technology Museum, which is set to open later this year, is aptly shaped like a flying saucer. Is the museum also trying to contact extraterrestrials? Maybe.
Photo: Visual China Group/Getty
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Suiwa High Technology Electronic Industries Co, Ltd's Xiamen tower, known as the "twisted building," is a large-scale architectural interpretation of a DNA spiral. The building reaches almost 100 meters high and contains 22 stories.
Photo: Zhong Zhenbin/Getty
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Hong Kong's Lippo Centre twin towers were actually designed by an American architect, Paul Rudolph. The puzzle-like walls are meant to resemble climbing koalas--we don't exactly see it, but still appreciate the effort.
Photo: Victor Fraile/Getty
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Macau's Grand Lisboa hotel, designed by Hong Kong architects Dennis Lau and Ng Chun Man, is the city's tallest building at 261 meters and a whopping 47 floors. In addition to a casino and restaurants, the Grand Lisboa houses 430 hotel rooms and is annexed by a smaller casino build to resemble a lotus.
Photo: David Paul Morris/Getty