Taipei 101

Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan; With 101 stories and reaching 1,671 ft (509 m) high, Taipei 101 became the world's tallest building when it was topped out in 2003, surpassing the Petronas Towers; construction, which began in 1999, was completed in 2004. Designed by C. Y. Lee & Partners, the multiuse steel-and-glass skyscraper echoes a traditional Chinese pagoda with its soaring podium base, eight tiers of eight stories (a number that is a homophone for prosperous growth in Chinese), and narrow pinnacle tower and spire. A 18-ft (5.5-m), 882-ton (800-metric-ton), ball-shaped damper located near the top counteracts swaying during earthquakes and typhoons.

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Bush said, "Modern Taiwan is free and democratic and prosperous. By embracing freedom at all levels, Taiwan has delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society."
11/15/2005 Japan