For some Chinese, skyscrapers are seen as symbols of urban modernity and economic dynamism.
It partially explains why many domestic cities seem to regard high-rises that dot their skylines as their claim to fame, and as a backdrop to their having arrived as truly metropolitan.
Currently, Shanghai, China’s business hub, has more than 4,000 buildings taller than 16 storeys, which is reportedly the largest high-rise cluster anywhere on the planet. The city hosts the Chinese mainland’s highest building, the 420-metre Shanghai Jinmao Tower.