WATCH: China's coin-shaped building

This unusually shaped building in southern China is the latest innovation of architect Joseph di Pasquale. Just completed, John Ma, the China manager of architecture firm A.M. Progetti said the building was inspired by an ancient jade coin and it would become a landmark of Guangzhou city. "A jade disc isn't just beautiful, it also represents power, wealth and fantasy in traditional Chinese culture. It's an expression of people's good wishes," Ma said. The reflection of the building forms a figure eight -- a lucky number in China. The squares inside the building also reference the impossibility of putting a circle inside a square. But the building -- known as Guangzhou circle -- has also been criticised for being a crass symbol of wealth and it's been nicknamed the "Copper Coin". It will house the Guangdong Plastics exchange where nearly $50 billion worth of raw plastic materials and goods are traded annually. Plastics and chemical firm Hongdaxingye Group initially poured 16.5 million dollars into the iconic building and surrounding warehouses. But the company doesn't have a final price tag for the five-year-project. Reuters' Sarah Toms reports. Mornings@ANC, December 30, 2013