19 Super Weird Buildings That May Vanish In The Next Five Years

A new regulation will punish the owners of insane architecture.

In China, it's common to find architecture as weird as — if not weirder than — this building, which was clearly inspired by three bowls of instant noodles.

Like it or not, China's government recently decided to put an end to the ~innovation~ on display. Oddly shaped buildings will be forbidden, according to guidelines released by the Communist Party's Central Committee and the State Council on Sunday.

In 1978, only 18% of the nation's population lived in cities — now it's 50%. With limited space, "bizarre" buildings that aren't "economical, functional, aesthetically pleasing, or environmentally friendly" will be forbidden, the guidelines say.

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Even a Beijing hotel designed to resemble fortune gods from China's mythology can't get an exemption.

China's President Xi Jinping in 2014 told artists not to chase popularity with "vulgar" works but promote socialism instead. Sunday's new guidelines seem like a natural extension of that thinking.

People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, highlighted nine buildings in the announcement on Weibo, including the ones above and below.

And that suggests a dim future for the spectacles that already exist. Within five years, a map of all such illegal buildings in China’s cities will have been drawn up and action will be taken against violators, the document said.

In the interest of preserving some of these buildings for posterity, here are some of our favorites:

It's amazing how the Shenyang Culture and Art center in northeast China's Liaoning province doesn't fit the city's vibe AT ALL.

Admittedly, there are some totally absurd and useless...things out there, like this gigantic ring. Its official name is "the Ring of Life."

But one thing we don't understand: "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" means a socialist market economy, which means $$$ is good. So why is this coin-like building under fire too?

This weirdo hybrid building in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, was absolutely NOT PHOTOSHOPPED.

That this a real university campus is both weird and cool (the Hebei Academy of Fine Arts in Xinle, Hebei province, specifically).

There's this place that looks like the USS Enterprise, built by a Chinese billionaire/Trekkie in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

Five Nails, as this tower is called, was built in the middle of nowhere.

(No, seriously, it's really in the middle of nowhere. But at 246 meters high, it's the world's 22nd-tallest tower.)

......

This one might look a little mediocre. But local authorities claimed that it is "big enough to hold 20 Sydney Opera Houses."

You can probably say farewell to this 243-feet-tall teapot.

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And this tree-like resort. (Really, what kind of monster doesn't like treehouses?)

And finally, we can probably say goodbye to the CCTV headquarters building in Beijing — known as The Giant Underpants. We won't forget you.

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