Yangzhou Zhongshuge Bookstore (Yangzhou/ China)

This futuristic bookstore was designed by Li Xiang of XL Muse Architects. With arched walls of books, organic shapes and reflective black mirror finish on the floor, visitors are given a sense of entering another world.

Abandoned Overgrown Village (Shengshan Island/ China)

At the mouth of the Yangtze River, in the Shengsi Archipelago there's 394 islands, 18 of which are inhabitable.
The subtropical region attracts over 100,000 fishers every winter, but
because of this seasonality, this old fishing village on the island of Shengshan was abandoned when the fishers chose to live and work mainland where fresh catches could be more easily transported and sold. The abandoned village now is slowly being reclaimed by nature, swallowing up buildings and roads.

House covered in Shells (Lingshan Island/ China)

Xiao Yongsheng, 58, a local resident on Lingshan Island of east China's Shandong province, spent 2 years decorating the outer walls and roof of his house with more than 1 million shells he collected. They come in all shapes and sizes with the largest weighing 4kg and the smallest one being only 3mm long.
“I used them for everything,” he explained. “For decoration, for roof tiles, as handles, and even crushed up to make mosaics. They are everywhere.” Xiao uses the house as a museum, displaying the history of the island and the daily life of local fishermen.

The Lotus Building (Wujin/ China)

Completed in 2013, the Lotus Building appears to be floating on an artificial lake in Wujin, China. It was designed by Australian architecture firm Studio505, who took inspiration from the lotus flower, and integrated its 3 stages of growth into the building's shape. From the new young bud, to the full ripe flower through to the opened bloom with a seed pod within it.
The city government commissioned it to serve as a public park and multi-use space with exhibition and conference rooms that are open to the public. The building extends two stories under water and visitors enter from below into a vaulted, cathedral-like interior space where a combination of colour and light create a bright and uplifting interior atmosphere.

Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin/ China)

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is an annual winter festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. It's the largest ice and snow festival in the world which brings forward the world's biggest ice sculptures. Thousands of snow artists and sculptors from around the world build a fantastic city of ice which at night gets illuminated by LED lamps and lasers.
The festival usually starts in January and lasts one month (weather permitting). The photos in this post are from the 2012, 2014 & 2015 festivals.

Teapot Shaped Building (Meitan County/ China)

The world's biggest teapot stands 73.8 meters tall and measures 24 meters at the maximum diameter. It houses a tea museum which is very fitting as Meitan County is known as the “hometown of Chinese green tea”.

China's Atlantis - the Underwater City of Shicheng (Qiandao Lake/ China)

Shicheng (literally meaning "Lion City") was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 200). The name comes from Wu Shi Mountain (or "Five Lion" Mountain), which lies behind the city.
In 1959 the whole valley got submerged for the construction of the Xin'an River Hydropower Station, creating Qiandao Lake ("Thousand Island Lake").
The city is now a time capsule shielded from erosion by wind, rain and sun and remains undisturbed at a depth of 26-40m. Stairs in ancient houses, walls and memorial arches remain surprisingly intact.

Jin Mao Tower (Shanghai/ China)

The Jin Mao Tower is an 88-story landmark skyscraper in Shanghai containing offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel.

Hanging Monastery (near Datong/ China)

The Hanging Monastery or Xuankong Temple is built into a 246 ft cliff on the side of Hengshan Mountain. Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable not only for its precarious location but also because it is the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The structure is kept in place with oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs.

Heavenly Stairs (Mt. Hua Shan/ China)

An endless chain of stone stairs called "The Heavenly Stairs" go up Mt. Hua Shan, inviting those not fearing hights. Eventually you'll get to the world’s most dangerous trail, the Hua Shan plank path, safety gear is highly recommended...
Today there's 2 cable cars - one north, one west - going up but it still takes thousands of stairs connecting the different peaks. According to reviews on tripadvisor it's definitely worth doing and you'll be rewarded with many beaufiful sights & views from the top. On the east peak you'll find the worlds highest up chess pavillion. (pictured below)

Windows of the World (Shenzen/ China)

The global village theme park ‘Windows of the World’ displays over 100 miniature replicas of world famous historical sights including the Manhattan skyline (before 9/11), Mount Rushmore, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal & many more, attracting millions of Chinese tourists every year.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel (Shanghai/ China)

Originally planned to be a moving walkway, this tunnel turned into one of Shanghai's strangest tourist atrractions. Bizarre, trippy audio-visual effects play as you travel in an automated car under the Huangpu river.
‘The story is about going from space into the core of the Earth and out again. We couldn’t show the dirty Huangpu, which has no fish, so we went for something bigger and better. It’s the only tunnel like it in the world.’

It runs from The Bund to Lujiazui, close to the Pearl Tower and costs 55RMB for a round-trip. Open from 8am-10pm daily.

Water Cube (Beijing/ China)

The Beijing National Aquatics Center- also known as the Water Cube- was built for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
After the Olympics, the building underwent a big revamp to turn half of its interior into a water park that offers fantastical escapism to an emerging urban elite who can afford the hefty entry price.

Crescent Lake Oasis (near Dunhuang/ China)

Crescent Lake in China’s Gobi Desert sits on the edge of an ancient city that once saw traders embark on their journey along the Silk Road to the West. Today it is drying up and has dropped more than 25 feet in the last 30 years, in part due to water being redirected for local farmers and a doubling of population, resulting in the slow disappearance of a lake that has existed for thousands of years.

The ecological house of the future (Shenzhen/ China)

Designed by Eugene Tsui, a Chinese-American architect, urban planner, environmental designer, author, industrial designer and clothing designer.

Dongzhong Cave School (Dongzhong/ China)

Dongzhong cave school is situated in a Miao village within the Ziyun county. The school, which was built in 1984 and caters for just under 200 students, is considered to be ‘a teaching branch for nearby resident units’.

Pottery House (Beijing/ China)