Visiting beautiful places is always an excellent experience for me, and exploring natural scenic spots is a passion. I love Beijing because it has a large number of natural scenic areas throughout the municipality. The northern section is especially attractive, with many mountains, water reservoirs, rivers, and wild forests. I have been sharing these places for several years—as you can see, most of my blog posts are about them. I live in Huairou, a northern district about 60 km north of downtown Beijing.
But today, I want to share a sudden visit to one of the most spectacular shopping complexes in all of Beijing: Galaxy SOHO. It was my first time in this part of Chaoyang District, even though I have visited the district several times before. Usually, I take the subway into the city, and so I often miss the beautiful architecture found in different locations around Beijing. There are other shopping complexes with “SOHO” in similar names, such as those on Wangjing Street SOHO and Leeza SOHO. These amazing architectural marvels were designed by the famous Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, as I learned from the internet.
I was in the area to visit the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing, which is located in the Chaoyang District. On my way to the embassy, I spotted this eye-catching building. I made a short visit to explore this remarkable modern urban space.
The complex consists of four rounded, bubble-like structures with an oval shape that rise upward. They are connected by passages, and most of them are for commercial use—offices, shops, service centres, and so on. I didn’t have enough time to explore the entire complex. I took a pleasant walk through the interior area connecting the four buildings. I found that many floors and the ground floors were directly accessible, and there were many shops selling dresses and household utensils.
I also entered one of the purely oval-shaped sections. It was quite empty—many shops were closed, and the few that were open were not like regular shopping malls. Instead, they seemed to offer art- and culture-related services, based on their appearance. Perhaps different parts of the building are designed for different services, and there are separate entrances for office areas reserved for staff. I only visited the common areas.
Most importantly, the whole complex was not as lively as many other places I have experienced—possibly because I visited during working hours on a weekday. Still, I noticed some enthusiasts outside near the entrance, taking photos with the immersive modern architecture as a backdrop.
I also found a corner area with a small garden, featuring the brand name “Galaxy SOHO” and some interesting design elements. There were tulips. Although there weren’t many colours, the garden was designed in a triangular shape. From that spot, with many views of the complex, this place truly defines Galaxy SOHO as a scenic spot, combining natural beauty with lavish modern architecture.
The day I visited was cloudy, and I found the surrounding city vibe very pleasant. The area offers a completely new and modern look of Beijing. If you have only visited the old parts of the city—such as the Palace Museum, the hutongs, or some southern sections of downtown—this part will amaze you with its many tall buildings and fantastic city views. It shows Beijing as a truly modern city.
I hope you enjoy my photos of the gorgeous Galaxy SOHO in the Chaoyang district, which shows the modern architectural beauty of the city. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments, and I will do my best to answer them.
Thanks a lot for your time and attention. I will catch up with you at the next one.
Wishing you a good day!
I took all the photos, and these are my own property.