Beijing's newest landmark architecture - among it the soaring CCTV tower, the egg-like National Grand Theatre Opera House, the 'bird's nest' National Stadium and the bubbly 'water cube' National Aquatics Centre - has been much discussed. Even though most of the buildings are not completed, most of us are familiar with the designs and the architects behind them.
But modern design in China goes far beyond the international names. A buoyant economy and a desire to embrace new opportunities are fuelling innovation in design and architecture.
The results are not always successful, although a small but increasingly assertive generation of mainland architects and designers are attracting attention. By infusing their work with a Chinese essence and an international outlook, they're creating designs with global appeal but also rooted in their culture.
Beijing architect Wang Hui says good design is a product of this cosmopolitan mixture. 'It's a kind of exchange,' he explains. 'If you only think about things in one way, it's limited. Fresh information gives you new points of view to think about design.'
The new generation of Chinese architects look at their culture from both inside and out and to reconnect with their origins in a global context. In Shanghai, for instance, new villas are springing up outside the city centre, with some taking inspiration from classic architecture and adding a modern twist. Hong Kong architect Rocco Yim's modernist design for Jiu Jian Tang Villa, in the Pudong district, is one such development. Yim reinterpreted a traditional garden courtyard house with internal glass walls, an angled roof and cylindrical roof tiles. Its contemporary interior, designed by William Lim, combines traditional style with the accoutrements of modern living.
The Bridge 8 in Shanghai is another such development. It's a former carmaking plant that has been redesigned to accommodate a creative community, with steel trusses, skylights, locally sourced grey brickwork and symbolic bridges linking its different areas.
'We want to remind people how to bring older elements into a contemporary environment,' says Daker Tsoi of the Lifestyle Centre, the developer behind the Bridge 8.