Next to the Bird's Nest National Stadium, the futuristic egg-shaped National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is sure to become an icon of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

The Games aren't only about sports, but an occasion to showcase the best in cultural performances from around the world. Many internationally celebrated acts will perform in Beijing during the Games at the new arts center.

Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the NCPA is Beijing's answer to the Sydney Opera House.

"Especially for opera, it has to be really a creation, because there are not many venues in the world," Andreu said of his inspiration for designing a unique facility.

The theater complex, which opened late last year, includes four world-class performance spaces. The largest theater, an opera hall, seats 2,400 people and features the largest pipe organ in Asia.

Situated in the center of Beijing, the NCPA is a shimmering icon of modern architecture. The giant edifice of titanium and glass is shaped like a half-sphere (hence the nickname "the egg"), and rises from an artificial lake.

The main entrance to the building takes visitors under the lake - look up and you can see water circulating above the glass ceiling - before emerging into a giant lobby.

Andreu came to the design table after winning an international bidding process, launched in 1998. The theater was listed by US magazine Business Week among the top 10 new landmark buildings in China.

(China Daily August 8, 2008)