In photos: Big Five, the 5 notable buildings for Beijing Olympics 2008

Once considered a cheapstakes country (especially in the manufacturing industry), China has developed rapidly to become a world superpower. As the world’s most populous nation prepares itself to bring the world the Beijing Olympics 2008, we thought that it would be nice to look at some of the most impressive stadia for the event.

It is reported that China has spent over $40 billion to repaint its urban skyline. The newly built stadia are massive in size, and some of them look totally futuristic. Here is a look at five of the most impressive buildings, which locals refer to as the Big Five:

Bird’s Nest

Designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre Meuron, it is the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies. It resembles a bird’s nest, with its intervowen steel, and is aptly called the Bird’s Nest, or simply The Nest. [image via]

National Center for Performing Arts, aka Alien Egg

The Alien Egg, as it is called, was designed by Frenchman Paul Andreu. It is located next to the famous Tiananmen Square, and has been in controversies recently for its location. [image via]

National Aquatics Center, aka Water Cube

The futurstic Water Cube was designed by Australian design firm PTW along with Chinese company CSCEC. The interiors look beautiful with its bubbly domes, and the sight from outside at night is magnificient too. [image via]

Chinese Central Television headquarters

CCTV is formed by two leanin towers bent and fused together at the top. Designed by Rem Koolhaas. [image via]

Beijing Airport Terminal 3

Although not strictly part of Olympics, the airport terminal is one of the largest and most high-tech in the world. Designed by Briton Norman Foster, it can accomodate a staggering 40 million passengers. [image via]