Images of the new design of Nanjing North Railway Station in China have gone viral on social media, sparking discussions online. Interestingly, the chatter is not about the proposed building's utility or cost, but how it looks. Several internet users shared an aerial view of the building and said it resembles a giant sanitary pad. 

According to BBC, the design of the North Nanjing station takes inspiration from plum blossoms, which the city is known for. However, users are unconvinced and are left amused by the unique design, with many joking that it is ''ahead of its time.''

"This is a giant sanitary pad. It's embarrassing to say it looks like a plum blossom," said one comment on the social media site Weibo.

See the picture here:

Nanjing North Railway Station, the new version of the fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes", the design takes the idea of plum blossom?
南京北站，新版童话《皇帝的新装》，设计取意梅花，梅花表示很无辜，推友们认为它像什么？#南京 #北站 #梅花 #设计 pic.twitter.com/dKonY0xROj

— Wind Lamp風中燈 (@laguizhong) April 14, 2024

''Why can we all tell it is a sanitary pad immediately, but the architects can't?'' another wrote. 

According to the state-owned newspaper Nanjing Daily, the preliminary design was greenlit by the government of Jiangsu Province and China State Railway Group. Construction is due to begin in the first half of 2024

The building will also incorporate several traditional Chinese architectural features, including the Chinese Order and wooden ceiling and window patterns.

The train station is estimated to cost some 20 billion Chinese yuan ($2,763 million) and will cover a total area of 37.6 square kilometres (14 square miles).

Earlier, pictures of the CCTV Headquarters building located in the capital city of Beijing also went viral, as many said that it looked like a ''big boxer shorts'' building because of its unique shape. Beijing has been called an architect's playground due to the large number of oddly-shaped modern buildings.