Beijing:
When it's completed by the end of this year, this will be the tallest building in Northern China. 1100 feet tall and host to the offices of 700 companies and 10,000 people.
But the World Financial Centre has competition. Less than 20 kilometres away, this building will be completed in 2014 and will stand at nearly 2000 feet.
It's as if China is hosting a skyscraper contest, and big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen all want the tallest building to end up on their turf.
But there's no emphasis on providing affordable living spaces to the migrant workers, who have been constructing these fast growing cities.
The meagre income of these workers gives them no other choice but to live in "migrant villages", in the marginal areas of the cities.
More than one million workers and their families now live in 66 such villages, but soon they will lose their homes because the government wants to expand cities further and all villages on the 71-km ring road must disappear within 3 years.
Tianmu is one of the biggest migrant villages in Tianjin. 58-year-old Wu Youde has lived here for 15 years. He earns 293 dollars per month. He has been paying less than 30 US dollar a month for his small shelter on the ring road. Now he will have to move to the countryside.
Questions are being raised on the ever growing ambition of the government to build more and more skyscrapers.
Many believe that the current model of development will not be sustainable.
But the World Financial Centre has competition. Less than 20 kilometres away, this building will be completed in 2014 and will stand at nearly 2000 feet.
It's as if China is hosting a skyscraper contest, and big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen all want the tallest building to end up on their turf.
But there's no emphasis on providing affordable living spaces to the migrant workers, who have been constructing these fast growing cities.
The meagre income of these workers gives them no other choice but to live in "migrant villages", in the marginal areas of the cities.
More than one million workers and their families now live in 66 such villages, but soon they will lose their homes because the government wants to expand cities further and all villages on the 71-km ring road must disappear within 3 years.
Tianmu is one of the biggest migrant villages in Tianjin. 58-year-old Wu Youde has lived here for 15 years. He earns 293 dollars per month. He has been paying less than 30 US dollar a month for his small shelter on the ring road. Now he will have to move to the countryside.
Questions are being raised on the ever growing ambition of the government to build more and more skyscrapers.
Many believe that the current model of development will not be sustainable.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
