The Tallest Buildings In China

Since 2003, China has completed the construction of 1,112 skyscrapers which is more than the total number of skyscrapers in the US. 48 of China's skyscrapers are over 984 feet with the tallest being the Shanghai Tower that is 2,073 feet in height. Skyscrapers are found mainly in major cities with Shanghai and Guangzhou, each having three of the ten tallest skyscrapers. The skyscrapers are built to provide office and retail space to various clients. Some of the skyscrapers also have residential units and recreation areas.

The Top 10

10. CITIC Plaza - 390.2 m

The CITIC Plaza, or the China International Trust and Investment Plaza, is a skyscraper in Guangzhou. Made of concrete, it formerly held the title of the world's tallest concrete building. The tower was completed in 1997 and features 80 floors.

9. Jin Mao Tower - 420.5 m

The Jin Mao Tower is located in Shanghai's financial district of Pudong. It measures 420.5 metres tall and is of mixed-use, including businesses, offices, and a large hotel. It was completed in 1999 and held the title of China's tallest building until it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2007. The building is postmodern in design and takes its inspiration from traditional Chinese architectural styles. The building has a total of 88 stories.

8. Guangzhou International Finance Center - 438.6 m

Guangzhou's International Finance Center was completed in 2010 to become one of the tallest buildings in China. Construction of the building began in 2005 and took a total of five years. The buildings is mixed-use; while the lower floors are used as offices, the building's higher floors contain luxury hotel suites. The top floors are home to one of the world's tallest observation decks. The building has been lauded for its sleek modern architectural design.

7. KK100 - 441.8 m

KK100 is the name of a tower in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The building is mixed-use and contains 100 floors. The majority of units in the building are office spaces. The building ranks as the 14th tallest building in the world.

6. Zifeng Tower - 450 m

The 450-meter tall Zifeng Tower is the only entry on this list out of the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. The building was completed in 2010 and is the tallest building in the city of Nanjing. The majority of the building's tenants are office space, although there are some retail spaces in the building's lower floors. The building has 66 stories.

5. Changsha IFS Tower T1 - 452.1 m

The Changsha IFS Tower T1 is a new skyscraper found in the Chinese city of Changsha, found in the south-central part of the country. The building contains a large square footage of retail spaces and is also set to feature luxury hotel rooms.

4. Shanghai World Financial Center - 492 m

The Shanghai World Financial Center soars above Shanghai's financial district of Pudong, an area of the city that is already filled with super-tall towers. Completed in 2007 after nearly ten years of construction, the structure raises for 492 meters in the air. It is currently the tenth tallest building in the world. Together with its neighbors, the Shanghai Tower and the Jin Mao Tower, the three buildings form the tallest collection of buildings in the world.

3. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre - 530 m

At the moment the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is the tallest building in Guangzhou at 1,739 feet. Five of the building's 116 floors are underground. Together with the Guangzhou International Finance Centre, the two buildings make up the Guangzhou Twin Towers. The building possesses one of the fastest elevators ever designed; its maximum speed is 44.7 mph. Kohn Pedersen Fox was responsible for the design of the building.

2. Ping An Finance Centre - 599.1

Completed in 2017, the Ping An Finance Centre is a 1,969-foot tall skyscraper located in Shenzhen. The Ping An Group owns the building which they use as the headquarters for Ping An Insurance, and they hired Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates to design it. The building has 119 floors in total four of which are underground. The top speed that the building's fastest elevator has attained is 22.4mph. Before the completion of the building, more than five people climbed it. The first person to do so was Keow Wee Loong from Malaysia. The building has a shopping mall, a hotel, and offices. In 2014, construction began on a second building that is expected to be more than 950 feet tall. A bridge will be constructed to link the two buildings.

1. Shanghai Tower - 632 m

Standing at 2073 feet, the Shanghai Tower is the tallest skyscraper in China. Construction of the building lasted for nearly six years and ended on September 6, 2014. The building's elevators travel at a maximum speed of 46mph; which is the fastest speed that any lift has ever attained. The Shanghai City government is the owner of the building and chose Gensler, an international design corporation, to draw up designs for the building. The building is divided into nine distinct zones which are to be used for either leisure, retail, or office use. The tower has been unable to acquire all the required permits from the fire department which has made it difficult for the building to obtain tenants. The lack of proper certificates has caused more than 60% of the building to remain unoccupied.

A Rapid Increase in the Number of Skyscrapers in China

It is projected that by the end of 2018 more than 200 skyscrapers will be completed with all of them being over 650 feet. The rapid increase in the number of skyscrapers internationally is mainly attributed to the rising prices of land in major cities. Companies find it cheaper to invest in building a single skyscraper on a single piece of land rather than many buildings on multiple pieces of land. The increase in skyscrapers is also because land is a finite resource and with each consecutive building, less of it becomes available.