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Bank of China Tower Traditional Chinese: 中銀大廈
Information
Status	Complete
Constructed	1990
Height
Antenna/Spire	369 meters
Roof	315 meters
Floor count	70

The Bank of China Tower (abbr. BOC Tower; Traditional Chinese: 中銀大廈) is one of the most recognized skyscrapers in Central, Hong Kong. It houses the headquarters for the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited.

It was designed by architect I. M. Pei. The building is 315 meters high with two masts reaching 369 meters (1209 feet) high. The 70 story building was built in 1989 and is located near Central MTR station. This was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, and it was the first building outside the United States to break the 1000 foot mark. That also means it was the tallest outside America from its completion year, 1990. It is now the third tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after Two International Finance Center and Central Plaza.

The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building resembles growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity. The whole structure is supported by the five steel columns at the corners of the building, with the triangular frameworks transferring the weight of the structure onto these five columns.

The building has been criticised by some practitioners of Feng Shui for its sharp edges and its negative symbolism by the numerous 'X' shapes in its original design, though Pei modified the design to some degree before construction following this feedback. The building's profile from some angles resembles that of a cleaver. In Feng Shui, this is described as a cleaver building and it is not difficult to observe that it is facing the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building in this guise. (See Government House, Hong Kong.)

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 are by appointment only.

The formal address of the building is: 1 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Contents 1 Trivia 2 See also 3 Gallery 4 External links

• The BOC Tower is the only landmark from Hong Kong that appears in the city-building/simulation computer games SimCity 3000 and SimCity 4.

• The Appearance of the Bulding was used in Star Trek: Voyager for the "Communications Research Center" of Starfleet [1]

• Bank of China Building, the old headquarters of the Bank of China
• Other skyscrapers in Hong Kong: Central Plaza - The Center - Hopewell Centre - International Finance Centre - Sorrento, The Harbourside
• Lists: List of skyscrapers - List of towers - World's tallest structures - List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong - List of the world's tallest structures - List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong

The Bank of China Tower and the Cheung Kong Center

The Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong's skyline

• About BOC Tower on Bank of China (Hong Kong) website
• Great Buildings Online site on BOC Tower
• Satellite view of the site
• Skyscraperpage.com: Bank of China Tower
• Buildable paper model of the tower

v • d • e Supertall skyscrapers
Current:	Aon Center (Chicago) • AT&T Corporate Center • Baiyoke Tower II • Bank of America Plaza • Bank of China Tower • Burj al-Arab • Central Plaza • Chrysler Building • CITIC Plaza • Emirates Office Tower • Emirates Towers Hotel • Empire State Building • Eureka Tower • First Canadian Place • International Finance Centre • JPMorgan Chase Tower • Jin Mao Building • John Hancock Center • Kingdom Centre • Kuala Lumpur Tower • Menara Telekom • Nina Tower I • Petronas Twin Towers • Q1 • Sears Tower • Shimao International Plaza • Shun Hing Square • Taipei 101 • The Center • Tuntex Sky Tower • Two Prudential Plaza • U.S. Bank Tower
Under construction:	23 Marina • Abraj Al Bait Towers • Ahmed Abdul Rahim Al Attar Tower • Airlangga Residences • Al Durrah Tower II • Al Hamra Tower • Al Rajhi Tower • Al Yaquob Tower • Almas Tower • Bank of America Tower • Burj Dubai • Burj Dubai Lake Hotel & Serviced Apartments • Busan Lotte Tower • Chicago Spire • City Hall and City Duma • Federation Tower • Freedom Tower (World Trade Center Tower 1) • The Index • Ice Tower • Guangzhou Twin Towers West Tower • Dubai Towers Doha • Sky Tower Dubai • Elite Residence • JW Marriott International Finance Centre • Ocean One • Square Capital Tower • International Commerce Centre • Jakarta Tower • Mercury City Tower • New York Times Building • Northeast Asia Trade Tower • Ocean Heights 1 • Ocean Heights 2 • Marina 101 • One Island East • Parcel 12 • Princess Tower • Rose Rotana Suites • Shanghai World Financial Center • The Torch • Trans National Place • Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) • Trump International Hotel and Tower (Toronto) • Waterview Tower • Tianjin International Trade Centre • Mag 218 Tower • Torre Gran Costanera • China World Trade Center Tower 3 • Pearl River Tower • Shenzhen Nikko Tower • Wenzhou World Trade Center • Gate of Kuwait • Doha Sport City Tower • Faros del Panamá
In development:
Former:	World Trade Center
Construction suspended:	Ryugyong Hotel • Dalian International Trade Center • Xiamen Post & Telecommunications Building • Najd Tower • 868 Towers Offices and Hotel • Tianlong Hotel • BDNI Center 1 • Infinity Tower • Marina Gardens • Skycity • Plaza Rakyat

Coordinates: 22°16′45″N, 114°09′41″E