The Bank of China Tower in Central houses the headquarters of Bank of China Hong Kong. Designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, the 70-storey building's height is 315 meters with two masts reaching 369 meters. Construction began in 1985 and the building was completed in 1989, with its official opening on 17 May 1990.
Bank of China Tower was the first building outside North America to break the 1,000 feet (300 m) mark, the first composite space frame high-rise building and was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992. A small observation deck on the 43rd floor of the building is open to the public; visits to the main observation deck on the 70th floor is by appointment only.
The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building resembles growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity. While its distinctive look makes it one of Hong Kong's most identifiable landmarks today, it was the source of some controversy at one time, as the bank is the only major building in Hong Kong to have bypassed the convention of consulting with feng shui masters on matters of design prior to construction.
Read more about this topic: Bank Of China (Hong Kong)
Famous quotes containing the words bank, china and/or tower:
“We bank over Boston. I am safe. I put on my hat.
I am almost someone going home. The story has ended.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“It all ended with the circuslike whump of a monstrous box on the ear with which I knocked down the traitress who rolled up in a ball where she had collapsed, her eyes glistening at me through her spread fingers—all in all quite flattered, I think. Automatically, I searched for something to throw at her, saw the china sugar bowl I had given her for Easter, took the thing under my arm and went out, slamming the door.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of a high hill? You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that. Oil and water were the same as wind and air to you.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)