The new guidelines for architects, urban planners and developers aimed to 'highlight Chinese characteristics' and also banned tacky 'copycat' buildings modelled after world landmarks.įive of the world's tallest skyscrapers are located in China, including the world's second-tallest building, the Shanghai Tower, which stands at 632 metres. It is the 18th tallest tower in Shenzhen, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat skyscraper database.Ĭhinese authorities last year banned the construction of skyscrapers taller than 500 metres, adding to height restrictions already enforced in some cities such as Beijing. The building is named after the semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Shenzhen Electronics Group, whose offices are based in the complex.

'SEG has been completely evacuated,' wrote one Weibo user in a caption to a video of hundreds of people milling about on a wide shopping street near the tower. It was not immediately clear how authorities will handle a dangerous tower of its scale in the heart of a city of over 12 million people.īystander videos published by local media on Weibo showed the skyscraper shaking on its foundations as hundreds of terrified pedestrians ran away outside. The district said in a later statement that everyone inside had been safely evacuated and that experts had found 'no cracks in the ground surrounding the building and no pieces of outer wall had fallen or been damaged.' 'After checking and analysing the data of various earthquake monitoring stations across the city, there was no earthquake in Shenzhen today,' the statement said. The building was sealed shut as of 2:40pm, according to local media reports.Ĭompleted in 2000, the tower is home to a major electronics market as well as various offices in the downtown of one of China's fastest-growing cities.Įmergency management officials are investigating what caused the tower in Shenzhen's Futian district to wobble, according to a post on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. The near 300-metre (980 ft) high SEG Plaza inexplicably began to shake at around 1pm, prompting an evacuation of people inside while pedestrians looked on open-mouthed from the streets outside. This article has been updated to reflect the correct Fahrenheit temperature range.One of China's tallest skyscrapers was evacuated Tuesday after it began to shake, sending panicked shoppers scampering to safety in the southern city of Shenzhen. Shenzhen's Emergency Management Bureau is yet to comment to Thursday's reports of shaking. On Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media website, the preliminary findings were met with skepticism, with many arguing that other skyscrapers are also subject to the same conditions. The provincial Department of Emergency Management, which confirmed the veracity of the document, told Jimu News that further evaluations were still ongoing. The temperature variation this week was measured at 8 C (14.4 F) and may have affected the steel structure, the report said. The assessment was not able to identify the cause of the shaking.Įmpty stalls inside SEG Electronics Market, which occupies the first 10 floors of SEG Plaza in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, after the skyscraper was evacuated following unexplained shaking and swaying on May 18, 2021.Īccording to Wuhan's Jimu News, a leaked internal document listed three possible causes for the shaking: wind, the operations of two subway lines below the building, and temperature. The skyscraper's vibration frequency, inclination and settlement were all within the standard range, and testing showed no anomalies. On Wednesday, the Shenzhen government said an evaluation commissioned by the city's Housing and Construction Bureau found SEG Plaza's main structure to be safe. Its notice cited a 'lack of risk assessment information.' Consulate in Guangzhou, about 85 miles northwest of Shenzhen, has advised American citizens to avoid the building and its surrounding area. Local media outlets said minor shaking was reported on the day as well, but no order was given to clear the building.

Store owners working in the top 10 floors at the SEG Electronics Market were allowed back into the building on Wednesday, as were staff employed in offices further up the high-rise, but customers continued to be kept out as a precaution. The shaking was not linked to an earthquake as monitoring stations had not detected any seismic activity nearby, the notice said. Navy Asserts Navigational Rights Near Paracel IslandsĪfter the initial incident on Tuesday, the municipal government said a preliminary safety inspection had determined the structure to be sound, but the precise cause of the wobbling was still being investigated.

Skyscraper Begins Swaying, Sparking Mass Panic As People Flee.China Mars Rover Animation Appears to Copy NASA Video Shot for Shot.

China skyscraper wobbles