Big Boxer Shorts

大裤衩 (dà kùchǎ): Big Boxer Shorts

CCTV building in Beijing (source unknown)

Completed in May 2012, the new CCTV headquarters is as known as the Big Boxer Shorts. (Source: blog.hereisbeijing.com)

Slang term given to the CCTV building designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The building is said to variously resemble a pair of walking legs, a person squatting over a toilet, and female genitalia. In response to criticism over the building's design, the architect has denied any impure motives.

CCTV launched a large public relations campaign to popularize a more respectful nickname for the building. However, this effort only increased the popularity of “big boxer shorts.”

Beijing has been called an architect’s playground due to the large number of oddly-shaped modern buildings that have been recently erected there. The city is also home to the Beijing National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest,” and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, known as the “Giant Egg.”

Example:

Xiwangzairenjian-feng (@希望在人间-风): With only a few hours of free time in Beijing, I went to several neighborhoods with highrises, saw the big boxer shorts, the World Trade Center, explored 81 Chaoyangmen Inner Street, and then returned home. (May 27, 2015)

在北京仅仅几个小时自由而清醒的时间，晃了晃高楼密集区，看了大裤衩、国贸，溜了朝内81，回家。[Chinese]

See also calamity TV and China Central Adult Video.