One part of it is that there is not one large downtown area. Beijing is s big that there is a section of large buildings, then they tone down, then there's another group down the street. It takes some getting used to, but the city just keeps going. And some of the buildings are pretty crazy. Some are normally built, meaning nothing really stand out, and then at night a whole side of the building turns into a color screen. Others are just completely different architecturally.
We've seen two Olympic buildings already that are different that most people have heard about, the aptly named Bird's Nest, the main olympic stadium, and the Water Cube, the center for swimming and diving events. Both are technologically advanced, but who cares about technology when they just look that different.
Two other buildings in Beijing, one still under construction, bring another flavor to the architecture. One, near the Bird's Nest, becomes wavy towards the top of the tower, portraying the smoke coming of the end of a cigarette, at least to my eyes. The very top even levels off and leans out away from the rest of the building, giving it a wild, leaning look. The one stil under construction is even crazier, as it forms somewhat of an arch. Two towers rise up, and between them runs several more dozen floors to connect them, but at right angles. Imagine if you took the St. Louis Arch and bent it so that, looking from above, it looked like a 90 degree angle, and you've got this building. It's something that still makes us stare at it even though we've driven past it a dozen times.
I know others in the group have taken photos, so I'll get some up as soon as I can.
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