The buildings, in my opinion, are placed in descending order of interest.
I thought this one stuck out for me some, especially the picture with the reflection of all the other buildings. My impression is that this was intentional, and it is well-done indeed.
This building was quite intriguing. As you can see, it angles inward and then straight up; the front side is relatively flat black glass. In the back, the glass is jagged, different panes are placed at random angles to each other. On the west side, a short part extends outward, sloping up and then down and away.
To get some of the better shots of both this and the now-famous CCTV tower, I had to sneak into the construction site. I waited until a guard was distracted, and then walked in like I knew what I was doing. Nobody gave me too hard a time, and I got some good shots in. This was important because both buildings had lots of large panels at the edge of their property, obstructing view (and probably preventing junk from flying out too easily). Either way, I was just lining up to take a picture of a foreman who was adjusting his collar and posing in front of the CCTV tower, very proud of his work (and why shouldn't he be?), when 2 guards showed up and put their hands in front of the camera, and started asking me to produce my CCTV card. I told them I didn't have it (which was technically true), and was very sorry, and could find my way out. I don't know most of what they said after that, but it included being escorted out by 2 guards with a bunch of workers looking on in confusion. Luckily, the No Beating Up Foreigners Rule is in full effect, so I was fine.
The CCTV Tower, of course, is my favorite. The engineering success of its preposterous shape stands in defiance against gravity and those who said it couldn't be done. Its mere existence stands in rebellion against bureaucracy and government offices that tried to withhold the license to build it. The architect of this tower triumphed over nature, chaos, and human inertia to exert his will over matter and space. This building will serve as a reminder of the triumph of the potential of mankind, the greatness of our minds, and the exaltation of the human spirit.
On a final, awesome note, I finally got the opportunity to take a photo of a cool scene I described earlier: cash pickups at banks. These guys are the private security team there to protect the transfer of big bags of cash, and they mean business. But I feel safer in Beijing than I have ever, in any big city, so they may be growing superfluous at this point. At least, having so many of them (there were 2 more on the other side of the van).
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