Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House – in pictures

The opera house surrounded by the urban skyline
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Looking up to the roofline, as night falls and the surrounding office towers begin to light up
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The ramp down to the lower floors; the two pebble-like structures are connected underground
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The staircase rising to the main entrance is lit up at night, showing off the building's sinuous form
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The walkway snaking around the opera house lake. In the daytime, reflections from the water ripple through the structure and across the walls of the foyers
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The newly completed International Finance Tower, designed by British architects Wilkinson Eyre, soars above the opera house. At 440 metres, it is currently the tallest occupied building in Guangzhou
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

A gap, or crevice, between Zaha Hadid's 'pebbles': the main opera house is on the left, and the smaller, multi-purpose auditorium is on the right
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The main foyer, showing its eye-boggling spider's web structure to suitably operatic effect
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The view out from a balcony at night. The city and its towers are always in view; this is the least claustrophobic of opera houses
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

An intergalactic meeting between the exposed steel frame of the opera house and the concrete walls of the freestanding auditorium. The space between the two provides the serpentine foyers
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

An asymmetrical opening from a balcony overlooking the main foyer; the auditorium is encircled by different-sized spaces and meeting places
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Looking from a balcony to a far corner of the steel skeleton, which shrouds and enmeshes the main auditorium
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Stairs wind down to the main foyer from an upper level, twisting and curving around the auditorium
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Spot the straight line. It’s the security door. There are very few right angles in this soaring, swooping building
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

A typical zig-zag staircase reaching theatrically from the main foyers to the three upper tiers of the auditorium
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

A beautiful rehearsal room; the ceiling folds down and over to reach the floor in a dance of acoustic folds and arches
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Another view of the rehearsal room, with the folds of its ceiling falling like a curtain to the floor
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The grotto-like 1,800-seat auditorium in all its asymmetrical glory
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

The auditorium from another angle, looking like any seashore metaphor you can muster: crab shell, underwater cavern, magic grotto
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

Zaha Hadid takes a seat
Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian