In 2008, Beijing became an Olympic city. The flamboyance which has accompanied major Chinese events over the centuries is very much in evidence here, as innovative Olympic architecture flirts with Chinese traditions. The national "bird's nest" stadium is the largest steel structure in the world, taking its inspiration from the clean lines of Chinese ceramics. The design of the Watercube, Beijing's aquatic park, pays tribute to the Cosmos, with its square shape symbolising the Earth and the circle of the stadium, the Heavens.