Latest wonder on a rooftop is a temple
Print Edition
The latest rooftop architectural wonder in China is a temple that brings worshippers closer to the heavens by being on top of a 21-story apartment block.
Surrounded by foliage, the temple has glazed golden tiles and traditional upturned eaves with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, but defies convention by standing on top of the tower in the southern city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, the Yangcheng Evening News reported.
The publicity surrounding the structure comes after a rooftop rock villa in Beijing sparked an outcry over the abuse of privilege and contempt for public safety by the country’s rich, and authorities ruled houses on top of a shopping mall in Hunan could not be sold.
Tight security prevented public access to the rooftop temple, according to the newspaper, with a fingerprint lock and cameras installed and dogs barking inside.
“The ashes from offerings often drop down,” the paper quoted an unnamed neighbor as saying.
“It’s privately built and has been there for years.”
A property agent near the compound said the top flat in the tower was worth 15 million yuan (US$2.5 million) and all the building’s residents were “either high-ranking officials or very rich people,” the paper reported.
“The owner must have some good relationships,” it quoted the agent as saying.
Authorities have failed to identify the facility’s proprietor as investigators sent to the building had been unable to speak to its owners, the report added.
“Such a rooftop construction is very unlikely to get approval,” Liu Minxing, a local official, told the paper. “We can almost be sure that it is illegal.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
