Bizarre: In China, an online contest to identify the 'ugliest' buildings

Beauty contests are commonplace, but ever heard of the 'ugliest contest'? In China, a bizarre poll is on to identify and list the ‘ugliest’ buildings and pieces of architecture within the country.

The public poll has already identified a ‘violin-shaped church’, an ‘upside down house’ and a hotel modelled on a ‘Russian doll’ as entries.

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A CNN report stated that the poll came after a Xi Jinping government directive calling for an end to “oversized, xenocentric, weird” structures in the country.

Chinese architecture website Archcy.com has now identified some 90 contenders for the 12th edition of its annual ‘Ugliest Building Survey’.

The shortlist includes skyscrapers, museums, hotels and sports facilities, with “unusual shapes” and “tactless ornamentation” that may have contributed to China’s reputation for bizarre architecture.