China's Tallest Skyscrapers Wobbles And Shakes

Beijing, China:

One of China's tallest buildings was unveiled on Tuesday after the quake struck, sending frightened buyers fleeing safety in the southern city of Shenzhen.
The mysterious 300-meter-high (980 ft) SEG Plaza began to shake at 1 p.m., resulting in the evacuation of people inside while pedestrians facing open mouths on the outer streets.

The building was closed at 2:40 p.m., according to local media reports.

Completed in 2000, the tower is home to a major electronics market and various offices in downtown one of China's fastest growing cities.

Emergency management officials are investigating what caused the tower in the Shenzhen district of Futian to collapse, according to a Twitter post such as Twitter.
"After looking at and analyzing the details of the various earthquake monitoring stations throughout the city, there were no earthquakes in Shenzhen today," the statement said.

"The cause of the quake is confirmed by various departments."

It is not immediately clear how the authorities will handle this dangerous scale building in the center of the city of more than 12 million people.

The tower is named after a semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Shenzhen Electronics Group, whose offices are based in the building.

The tallest 18th tower in Shenzhen, according to the Council of Architecture and Urban Habitat skyscraper database.

Chinese authorities last year banned the construction of buildings more than 500 feet [500 m] high, adding to the already existing height limits in some cities such as Beijing.

The new guidelines for architects, urban planners and developers aim to “highlight Chinese features” and also block “copycat” structures that are matched to landmarks.

The world's tallest five-story buildings are located in China, including the world's second-largest building, Shanghai Tower, located at an altitude of 632 meters.

Shenzhen is a large city in southern China, near Hong Kong, with a growing technology base at home.

Chinese officials, including Tencent and Huawei, have chosen a city that will host their headquarters. It is home to the tallest building in the world, the 599-meter Ping An Finance Center.

The collapse of buildings is not uncommon in China, where loose building standards and urban sprawl are leading to rapid construction.