The exterior look of the City Museum in the Yudong district of Datong city, Shanxi province [Photo by Zhang Zhanbing / chinadaily.com.cn]

The Yudong district of the city of Datong, Shanxi province, is gradually taking on a new look with a group of buildings with a new architectural style that attracts the attention of passersby even though they are still being built.

There is the shell-shaped Performing Arts Center, for example, or the pyramidal City Gallery, the spiral City Museum, the petal-like Sports Center, or even the classical library, all located along the banks of Wenying Lake, with a splendid view.

The museum's exterior is completed, and the interior decoration is underway in three halls -- one for temporary exhibitions, another for the city's history, up through the Northern Wei, Liao, Jin, Ming and Qing dynasties, and one for chinaware, sculpture, calligraphy and paintings -- with smaller exhibit sections.

The Sports Center includes a stadium, a gym, a swimming pool and a training center, with an architecture that includes an irregular metal roof that was a technological challenge that called for many architects and is expected to be an example for all the world. Seen from up above, the center is like a flower in bloom, with 51 petals.

The cloud-like theater, is similar to the Sports Center, in that it is another engineering feat.

The City Gallery consists of a cluster of pyramids of different sizes whose exterior has been finished.

In addition, construction work has begun on the gardens, surrounding roads, and facilities such as street lighting, with lamps for the main lighting system all solar-powered. The design is both energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Gardeners are busy with the botanical project, whose designed space is 600,000 square meters.

The district construction committee said that all the projects are on time and should be complete before temperatures drop.