CITIC Tower (China Zun)

중국존(CITIC 타워)

A 528 m skyscraper shaped like an ancient bronze zun vessel, narrowing at the waist and flaring at the top; the tallest building in Beijing.

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At a glance

Country: China
Location: Beijing, China
Built: 2018
Height: 528 m
Type: Skyscraper

Quick answers

Where is CITIC Tower (China Zun)?

CITIC Tower (China Zun) is in Beijing, China.

When was CITIC Tower (China Zun) built?

CITIC Tower (China Zun) was built in 2018.

How tall is CITIC Tower (China Zun)?

CITIC Tower (China Zun) is about 528 m tall.

China Zun, also called CITIC Tower, is a 528 m skyscraper in the central business district of Beijing. It is the tallest building in the city. Its shape is inspired by the zun, an ancient Chinese bronze wine vessel: narrow at the waist and wide at both the bottom and the top. It passed China World Trade Center Tower III, which is 190 metres shorter, to become the tallest in the city.

The tower has 109 floors above ground and 8 below, according to Wikipedia, and was completed in September 2018. Inside are offices, luxury apartments and a hotel with about 300 rooms.

How it was built

Work started on 15 May 2012 after a groundbreaking in 2011. The structure reached full height in August 2017 and the building was finished on 30 September 2018. Kohn Pedersen Fox designed it, Arup was the structural engineer, and CITIC Group, a Chinese state-owned company, was the developer.

What is inside

About 60 floors hold offices, 20 hold luxury apartments and 20 hold a hotel. There is a garden on the top floor. Since Beijing set a height cap of 180 m for new buildings in the business district in 2018, China Zun is likely to stay the capital's tallest for a long time.

Why a wine vessel?

The name China Zun comes from the zun, an ancient Chinese wine vessel that the developer, CITIC Group, said inspired the shape. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 19 September 2011, and the builders expected to finish within five years. Farrells made the first concept for the land bid, and Kohn Pedersen Fox then took the project and spent 14 months on the concept design. There is a rooftop garden on the top floor at about 522 metres. The tenants include China CITIC Bank, Alibaba and CITIC Group, along with other big companies and financial firms.

Fun facts

It is the tallest building in Beijing.
It copies the shape of an ancient bronze wine vessel called a zun.
It passed the China World Trade Center Tower III in 2016 as Beijing's tallest building.
New buildings in the Beijing business district are now limited to 180 m.
A rooftop garden sits on the top floor at about 522 metres.