News: the largest man-made structure in the world has opened in China's Sichuan province, housing hotels, offices, a beach resort and an artificial sun.

Capable of housing 20 Sydney Opera Houses or three Pentagons in its staggering 1.7 million square-metre interior the New Century Global Centre in Chengdu opened its doors on 1 July 2013.

The colossal 18-storey glass and steel superstructure has a wavy roof and is built above a new metro station. The building is 500 metres long, 400 metres wide and stands 100 metres high.

A 65 metre-high lobby covering 10,000 square metres greets visitors as they enter the centre. Visitors will then find the Paradise Island Oceanic Park, with a 400 metre sandy beach and the world's largest indoor LED screen that projects images of seascapes and horizons.

There is also one of China's largest shopping malls, a 14-screen Imax cinema, an Olympic-sized ice rink, two five-star hotels and a central business tower with 720,000 square metres of office space.

Here's a 15-minute promotional video about the centre:

The New Century Global Centre sits directly opposite the 500,000 square-foot Chengdu Contemporary Arts Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects. The arts centre comprises three auditoria, an art museum, exhibition space and conference centre, plus restaurants, bars and shops.

The news comes less than a month after construction started on the Songjiang Hotel that will nestle into the 100 metre-high rockface of an abandoned water-filled quarry outside Shanghai. See more architecture in China »

Photography is from Entertainment and Travel Group.