The past five years have seen a revolution in Chinese architecture-the emergence of independent designers, and a number of new stars-and above all new and interesting buildings that are not the product of direct Western influence. These developments have laid the groundwork for an indigenous modernity that differentiates itself from outside schools as well as eschewing the temptation to put a "Chinese-style" roof on ordinary office blocks. The fact that Beijing has been chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games has been more than a catalyst for the development of high-quality contemporary architecture in China. Major foreign firms like OMA/Rem Koolhaas or Herzog & de Meuron are participating in the design of buildings that will have functions during the Games, but Chinese architects, too, have been mobilized in this massive effort to prepare the country for an unprecedented level of world-wide attention.

ATELIER DESHAUS

FCJZ ATELIER FEICHANG JIANZHU

AZL ATELIER ZHANGLEI

EDGE DESIGN INSTITUTE

FAKE DESIGN

HERZOG & DE MEURON

ARATA ISOZAKI

JIAKUN ARCHITECTS

KENGO KUMA

LI XIAODONG ATELIER

MAD

MAD S.P.A.M

NODE--ARCHITECTURE

OMA/REM KOOLHAAS

PEI ZHU

URBANUS ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

VARIOUS ARCHITECTS/JINHUA ARCHITECTURE PARK

WANG HUI

ZHU XIAOFENG/SCENIC ARCHITECURE