Fodor's Expert Review New Century Global Centre

Nothing says modern China quite like this gigantic superstructure currently holding the "biggest free-standing building in the world" title. China is no stranger to superlatives and this stands as a reminder by the government of just how economically powerful China, and particularly Chengdu, has become. One can shop, sleep, swim, and ice skate without leaving. The Paradise Island Water Park even provides artificial sunlight. The massive structure designed by a British-Iraqi architect has also become a huge embarrassment to the Communist Party due to reminders of the widespread corruption, as the billionaire financier was convicted of embezzlement and since vanished.