Grand National Theatre, Beijing

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Surrounded by a "nest" of water, this egg of a National Performing Arts Centre is truly an architectural feat from inside out. From the outside, it is spectacularly beautiful at night when it's all lit up. Once inside, notice how they made use of light to play with textures everywhere-- there're the reflections on the marble floors that create a surreal world on its own; there's the water that stream's overhead (see my photos to the right), there're the round protruding circles that look suspiciously like A Ying/Yang circle thanks to (again) the play of light.

So if you have a bit of time, take a closer look at the smaller details inside the Egg and you'd be in for some (Kinder) surprises. Haha :p

Better yet, go for a concert! I saw the Lucerne Chamber Orchestra recently; pretty good acoustics even when the quartet was performing and I was all the way in THE nosebleed row. HOWEVER, beware of "coughers" who deem the oboe solo to be the best part to clear their lungs. For my show in particular, there were so many people coughing I wondered if it was all orchestrated by an invisible conductor somewhere. That does tend to damage your overall experience, regardless of where you sit.

Bottom line: take your time to see the Egg! It's not just some architectural gimmick!