A night view of the China Hangzhou E-sports Center, a venue of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]

The China Hangzhou E-sports Center, nicknamed Interstellar Whirlpool for its avant-garde design, started trial lighting operations recently, local media outlets reported.

The night view of the venue was fascinating as numerous groups of lighting belts surrounding the outer walls make it look like a futuristic spaceship.

As the designated e-sports venue of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, the center will host the finals of e-sports competitions, including Dota2, HearthStone, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V. This is the first time in the history of the Asian Games that medals will be up for grabs in e-sports.

Though the Asian Games were postponed due to the pandemic, the e-sports venue, located next to the ecological park in Gongshu district and covering an area of 82,000 square meters, is still attracting international attention.

The venue's popularity lies in its unique features, including its iconic vortex-like ceiling, which won a gold medal for steel structures last year by applying tailored anodized aluminum panels and a motorized color-changing glass skylight to form double-curved surfaces.

The venue also features dimensional audio-visual equipment such as 240-square-meter tunnel screens at its center and 15 567-square-meter screens on surrounding walls.

Cutting-edge sound and adjustable stage lighting equipment also make it possible for the venue to host sporting events, concerts, performances, and exhibitions in the future.

The e-sports venue is located next to the ecological park in Gongshu district, Hangzhou. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]