An aerial view of Daxing International Airport in Beijing (© Xinhua/Alamy)

An aerial view of Daxing International Airport in Beijing (© Xinhua/Alamy)

Wheels up in Beijing

Last Wednesday, September 25, China officially opened the world's largest airplane terminal, Beijing Daxing International Airport. Constructed to alleviate pressure on the city's existing airport, Beijing Capital International, the bright orange starfish look-alike took more than four years to construct. And travelers, hold on to your hats, because Daxing International will connect to China's capital city—about 30 miles away—with a high-speed train that travels at top speeds of more than 200 mph.

Sitting on 18 square miles of land, the massive terminal was designed by legendary architect Zaha Hadid, who also masterminded China's Guangzhou Opera House. In a nod to traditional Chinese architecture, the building consists of a central hub with six curved spokes—bringing organization to the interconnected spaces around a central courtyard and minimizing the building's environmental footprint. Inside, passengers will feel like they're in anything but an airport with dark, polished-stone floors and white ceilings that open intermittently to big, beautiful skylights.