The lonely giant of Taipei skyline is about to get some company

Taipei

THE Taipei 101 building, which was for five years the world's tallest, has towered over the Taiwanese capital for more than a decade. Very much a build-it-and-they-will-come venture, the 1,667-foot tower was erected in one of the city's least built-up areas, Xinyi District, as a symbol of a modern and ambitious Taiwan.

Thirteen years later, Xinyi is Taipei's centre for finance, business, offices and shopping. And in a sign that Taipei 101 has accomplished its mission of attraction, other skyscrapers are finally rising next door, altering the skyline of an otherwise surprisingly low-rise city.