Rem Koolhaas’s gravity-defying ‘Big Pants’ tower — Beijing’s most polarizing piece of modern architecture.
At a glance
- What it is
- Landmark
- Also known as
- 中央电视台总部大楼 (Zhōng Yāng Diàn Shì Tái)
- Opening hours
- Always open
- Time needed
- 30-60 min
- Best time to visit
- Dusk; CBD walking tour 5-7 PM
- Getting there
- Metro to the door
- English
- Full English menu
- Cards accepted
- Visa, Mastercard
- Entry
- Walk-in — no booking · tickets & prices →
- Wi-Fi
- Free Wi-Fi
- Address
- 32 Guanghua Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing · 朝阳区光华路32号
See CCTV Headquarters tickets & tours
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CCTV Headquarters map & getting there
Taxi / DiDi? Show the driver: 朝阳区光华路32号 · 32 Guanghua Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Designed by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA and completed in 2012, the China Central Television Headquarters is two leaning L-shaped towers joined at the top and bottom by 75-meter cantilevered structures, forming a continuous Möbius-like loop. Locals call it ‘Big Pants’ (大裤衩) for the obvious silhouette; engineers call it one of the most structurally innovative skyscrapers in the world. Interior is closed to the public (it’s a working broadcast facility), but the exterior is the photo. Best vantage points: from Guomao Bridge to the south at dusk, or from the Park Hyatt’s top-floor bar across the CBD for a downwards angle. The whole CBD around it — including the IFC Tower and China Zun, Beijing’s tallest building at 528m — is a 1-hour walk through Beijing’s most assertive modern architecture. Combine with a meal at Sanlitun, 10 minutes north.
Highlights
- ‘Big Pants’ Silhouette (大裤衩)Locals’ nickname for the loop — view it from across the CBD
- Möbius Loop StructureTwo leaning L-towers joined top and bottom; engineering marvel
- Guomao Bridge Viewpoint (国贸桥)South of CCTV; classic dusk photo from here
- China Zun Tower (中国尊)Beijing’s tallest at 528m; nearby in CBD walking tour
- Interior Closed to PublicWorking broadcast facility; only exterior accessible
What Chinese travelers actually do here
Distilled from Chinese-language travel notes — the practical tips most English guides miss.
- Shoot from the Guomao Bridge area to the south at dusk — the lean and cantilever overlap into the building’s most photogenic loop.
- Don’t plan to go inside; it’s a working broadcast facility with no observation deck, so treat it purely as an exterior photo target.
- Time it for around 5–7 PM and turn it into a CBD walking tour past China Zun, Beijing’s tallest tower, all on foot.
- For a downward angle, head to a high-floor bar across the CBD — you get the whole ‘Big Pants’ loop from above.
- Leave the drone at the hotel — the CBD core around CCTV is a no-fly zone, and flying here invites trouble.
- Visa and Mastercard work across this district and Wi-Fi is easy, so you can wander the CBD without carrying much cash.
- It’s a 30–60 minute stop, so chain it with dinner in Sanlitun, only about 10 minutes north.
Photos
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Frequently asked questions about CCTV Headquarters
- Why is CCTV Headquarters in Beijing called the Big Pants building?
- The 234-meter skyscraper opened in 2012 with two leaning towers joined by a 75-meter cantilevered top — silhouetted from certain angles it resembles a pair of trousers, which Beijing locals immediately nicknamed 大裤衩 (“big underpants”). Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA, the official name is simply CCTV Headquarters. The nickname stuck so widely that even state media uses it informally.
- Can tourists go inside CCTV Headquarters?
- Public access inside the tower is generally restricted — CCTV is the state broadcaster and most floors are working offices and studios. There is no observation deck. The exception: occasional China Open House Day events (one weekend in September) let pre-registered visitors into the lower atrium. For 99% of tourists, the building is an exterior photo target, not a walk-in attraction.
- Where is the best photo spot for CCTV Headquarters?
- The classic angle is from the southwest corner of the Guomao SOHO complex, where the building’s slope and cantilever overlap into the most photogenic profile. For dusk shots, the elevated walkway above Dongsanhuan Zhonglu (East 3rd Ring Road) gives clean foreground separation. Drone shots are not allowed — Beijing CBD is a no-fly zone within 5 km of CCTV.
- How do I get to CCTV Headquarters from Sanlitun or Wangfujing?
- From Sanlitun take Metro Line 10 to Jintaixizhao station; CCTV’s south plaza is a 5-minute walk via Exit C. From Wangfujing it is Line 1 east to Dawanglu, then Line 14 one stop to Jintaixizhao — total 20 minutes. Didi from either neighborhood costs ¥15–25 in 10–15 minutes. The building sits in the Beijing CBD core, adjacent to Guomao Mall and the China World Trade Center.
- Who designed CCTV Headquarters?
- The CCTV tower was designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), with Cecil Balmond of Arup as structural engineer. Construction ran 2004–2012 and the project won the 2013 CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide award. The same OMA team produced Seattle Central Library — both buildings share the firm’s signature “impossible” geometry that loads at corners rather than a central core.
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