3 Xinbi St, Xicheng Qu, Beijing Shi, China, 100051
This gleaming performing arts center, sometimes called the Giant Egg, was designed by French architect Paul Andreu and inaugurated in 2007. The ellipsoid dome, made of titanium and glass and surrounded by a man-made lake, looks a bit like a spaceship. Within are nearly 4,500 seats across three halls. The spaces are used for kunqu and Western opera, acrobatics shows, ballets such as Swan Lake, Chinese and Western classical music concerts, and visiting foreign troupes performing classics like Hamlet. The building is about a 20-minute walk from Tiananmen Square; even if you don’t have tickets to a performance, it’s worth coming to ogle this enormous architectural feat.