Beijing's Olympic big air ski-jump venue, which was unusually built on the site of a disused steel mill, has been compared to a 'hellscape' by baffled viewers, who also deemed it 'ugly' and 'dystopian'.

The Big Air Shougang, a gigantic ski-ramp in west Beijing, captured people's attention as it hosted the first day of Winter Olympic competition with the women's and men's freeski Big Air qualifying events.

But some viewers, accustomed to seeing snow-capped mountains and forests at Winter Olympic events, were taken aback by the site of cooling towers and machinery behind the ski-ramp.

The 64-metre high ramp sticks out from its surroundings, as it was unusually built the middle of China's first state-owned plant, which was formerly used as a steel mill and will be transformed into a wedding venue.

Social media users were quick to comment on the 'ugly' backdrop, which features an array of cooling towers with the Beijing 2022 logo printed on to them, slamming the venue as 'dystopian' and a 'hellscape'.

Taking to Twitter, one viewer wrote: 'Feels pretty dystopian to have some kind of nuclear facility as the backdrop for this Big Air skiing event.'