Cost to build: US$600 million
Completion date: January 2008
Fast fact: A building in the complex was badly damaged during a fire that was ignited by fireworks.
Reportedly nicknamed "big boxer shorts" by a Beijing taxi driver, the CCTV headquarters look like no other building. Comprising a continuous loop of six horizontal and vertical sections, the design represents a running stream of “qi” in the building. Given China’s monumental economic ambitions, the 234-meter-high structure is considered on the short side for a skyscraper. But its light gray curtain of glass blends in perfectly with the notoriously misty skyline of Beijing, earning this one-of-a-kind skyscraper two awards at the annual
