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A proposed train station in China has captured the attention of internet users for its unique design.
Social media users compared the design of Nanjing North Railway Station to a sanitary napkin rather than a plum blossom.
The designers insist that the quatrefoil building is intended to mimic the city’s floral symbol, the plum blossom. However, many netizens correctly pointed out that plum blossoms usually have five petals.
Debate over it on Chinese social media platforms has attracted millions of views, with many users mocking the proposed design.
One Weibo user quipped: “Why do we all know immediately that this is a sanitary napkin, but the architect doesn’t?”
Another netizen wrote: “This is a huge sanitary napkin. It looks like a plum blossom, which is a pity.”
According to local media reports, the preliminary design has been approved by provincial and national authorities and the building has now entered the construction stage. The project is expected to cost around 20 billion yuan (£2 billion).
Nanjing North Railway Station is a major investment for this bustling city of 8.5 million residents and is expected to become the city’s largest station.
The spacious station covers an area of 14 square meters (37.6 square kilometers) and is expected to handle approximately 36.5 million passengers per year.
This is not the first instance in China of a building causing commotion and inadvertently attracting attention.Previously, CCTV [CCTV] The building has been mocked for its resemblance to a pair of oversized shorts. The CCTV headquarters building in Beijing is known as the “big shorts” building because of its unique shape.