The Nanfang / Blog

Meet Shenzhen’s Newest Tallest Building: The Peace Finance Center

Posted: 07/16/2014 9:01 am

shenzhen tallest buildingThe new Peace Finance Center, which is still under construction, is now the tallest building in Shenzhen, at 448.3 meters high. The Peace Finance Center has taken the honor away from the previous title holder, the KingKey Financial Center, whose one hundred floors measures 441.8 meters in height.

The main structure of the Peace Finance Building will stand at 588 meters tall, but with a planned attachment to be added later on, the complete height will be 660 meters.

The Peace Finance Center will have 115 floors with another five stories underground. It is slated to be completed in 2016.

Photo: Sina

Haohao

Hundreds of Shenzhen Couples Marry on “I Love You” Day, 5/20

Posted: 05/21/2014 1:01 pm

i love you day marriageYesterday was a terrible day in Shenzhen: there was heavy rain, lightning, and flooding as the city issued a red alert weather warning to make the crappiness of yesterday bureaucratically-approved. And yet, yesterday saw hundreds of Shenzhen couples throw caution to the wind and take the plunge into marriage as May 20 is now regarded as one of the most romantic days of the year in China.

If you missed it, yesterday was “I Love You” Day, so-called because the Chinese pronunciation of the date 5/20 (wú èr líng) can be loosely re-interpreted as the phase “I love you” (我爱你, wǒ ài nǐ).

The populist trend of this fad stems from online communities, as have other random dates that sound similar to romantic phrases. They include: 2013/1/4 (“Love you for the rest of my life, now and forever”), 1/3/14 (“For now and for always”), and 11/11 (Singles’ Day). These dates have seen hordes of lovebirds flocking to marriage licensing centers to get hitched at the right place and at the right timedate.

493 couples tied the knot yesterday in Nanshan District, while the number of married couples in Futian District was reported at a prophetic 520, reports NewsGD.

i love you day marriage

The number of marriage license applicants numbered eight times more than those on average non-”I Love You” days at the Nanshan marriage licensing center. Extra security guards were called in to help keep order from rambunctious lovers who presumably didn’t want to wait until the non-symbolic day of May 21, otherwise known as the summer solstice.

However, that wasn’t the biggest public display of love in Shenzhen on “I Love You” Day. The message “Jia loves Qiong; our love is ordained by heaven” was written in lights yesterday on Shenzhen’s tallest building, the KK100, a lost sentiment upon every other Shenzhen resident who had to settle for rain and lightning to pour down from the sky above.

“I Love You” Day now joins the ranks of China’s other recognized days of romance: Valentines’ Day, White Day (March 14, when girls give gifts to their boyfriends in return), Qixi Festival on 7/7 of the Lunar Calendar, and Singles’ Day on November 11 (Lantern Festival can be seen as China’s “traditional Valentine’s Day”).

We’ll try to keep you apprised of any new developments should they arise.

Photos: NewsGD, Shenzhen Evening Report via Weibo

Haohao

Shenzhen’s tallest building to open in August

Posted: 04/26/2011 8:59 am

The comparisons rage on in China about which city has the tallest building.

Shenzhen is about to whip out its tallest building, the brand new KingKey, 100 which is (naturally) 100 floors high and will open in Western Luohu. It is 441.8 metres high, which passes the current record holder, the Dawang Building, at 383.95 metres high.

From the Shenzhen Standard:

With 100 floors, the Kingkey 100 beautifully made by TFP Farrells of London, will be marked as the eight highest building of the world. Kingkey 100 has the highest hotel in the city, the St. Regis with it’s 220,000 sq. meter floor area from the 75th to 100 floor that features highest highest garden and restaurant was linked to KK mall with luxury brand stores, restaurants, and the city’s first IMAX Cinema.

While it might be the 8th tallest in the world, it won’t be even close to the tallest in China.

KingKey, it should be noted, also has a beautiful hotel in Dameisha which plays second-fiddle to those who can’t afford to stay at the Sheraton Dameisha Resort. One could argue the rooms are better at the KingKey anyway. But it’s the name of the hotel that stands out: The KingKey Palace. Say that 5 times fast.

You can read a lot more about the architect of the KingKey 100, Sir Terry Ferrell, here.

We reported earlier on The Nanfang about a new 400-metre monster going up in Dongguan, and how that fits in with the other tall buildings in the country:

So what about other tall buildings in China? Well, if we include Taiwan, (and we should, just so our website doesn’t get blocked), Taipei 101 takes the cake easily, coming in at 509 meters high. In Mainland China, the tallest remains the World Financial Centre in Shanghai (492 meters), followed by the brand new International Commerce Centre in Kowloon (484 meters).

The thing is, there are hundreds of skyscrapers in Shanghai and Hong Kong, so even the tallest towers tend to blend in. However, anybody’s who’s been to Taipei would agree that Taipei 101 is an absolute anomaly on the city’s skyline as the single tower standing out amidst several low-rise buildings. The same effect will likely happen in Dongguan.

Just for trivia’s sake, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa at over 800 meters high, or more than double the height of Dongguan’s new tower.

The new KingKey 100 will throw open its doors in August this year.


Haohao
AROUND THE WEB
Keep in Touch

What's happening this week in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou? Sign up to be notified when we launch the This Week @ Nanfang newsletter.

sign up for our newsletter

Nanfang TV