Completing Beijing's collection of all buildings big and imposing is the sprawling Beijing South Railway Station (left). Said to be the largest in the world, the station aims to integrate railway, subway, bus, and taxi services under one roof, and handle some 1 million passengers a day. More importantly, it will serve as the northern hub for China's high-speed railway network, one that is set to dramatically reduce travelling time between major Chinese cities in the north and those along the eastern coast. For now, the high-speed train connects only to Tianjin (above) via a 20 billion yuan railway line.

		THE BIRD'S NEST		CCTV'S NEW HQ

THE NATIONAL THEATRE

THE WATER CUBE