National Centre for the Performing Arts

The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing — known colloquially as "The Egg" — is one of the most visually striking performance venues in the world, a titanium-and-glass ellipsoid designed by Paul Andreu that appears to float on a surrounding lake near Tiananmen Square. Opened in 2007, the complex houses an opera house, a concert hall, and a theatre, and has become China's foremost venue for international opera, ballet, and symphonic performances.