Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    XU GUIZHENG is leader of a small group of people with an unusual hobby. Xu and friends spend their spare time climbing to the top of skyscrapers and taking panoramic photographs of Shenzhen.

    “I like taking photos from tall buildings. It is an interesting way of recording the city’s development,” said Xu, 27.

    Xu recently climbed to the top of the Ping An International Finance Center, a building which is far from complete.

    “The building, started construction in 2009 and I come here once every few months to record the progress of the construction,” he said.

    According to the construction plan, the building will stand at 660 meters when completed, about 300 meters taller than Diwang Mansion.

    Xu came to Shenzhen about four years ago and has climbed to the top of nearly every building with more than 40 floors in the city. “I’ve been to Kingkey 100 four times. The first time I went there, it was still unfinished,” he said.

    “Standing on top of a skyscraper looking out over a city gives one a peaceful feeling. It helps us realize how insignificant our worries are,” he said.

    All for fun

    While his job is exhibition designer, Xu is also an administrator of gaoloumi.com, an online forum for fans of skyscrapers and photography.

    “There are now 16 members of our group. Six of us go along every time, the rest only come occasionally due to other commitments,” Xu said.

    Xu’s group like to refer to themselves as explorers because climbing the buildings can be very physically demanding.

    “Some buildings have restrictions as to who they will allow to enter. When we go to those buildings, I usually wear a hard hat and they let me in because they think I’m a construction worker,” he said.

    In Xu’s experience, the best time to climb a building is when it’s about to be completed. When trying to enter a new building, Xu’s first challenge is to build a rapport with the security guard. “You have to learn to be persuasive, but the most important thing is to be persistent and stay positive,” he said.

    Once, Xu was refused entry to an 86-story building. “We spent a long time trying to persuade the security guard but failed. In the end, we entered the building through the elevator via the underground car park,” he said.

    Normally, Xu takes an elevator to the top floor of a building and then climbs several sets of stairs to get onto the roof, but sometimes it is not that easy.

    “Some unfinished buildings don’t have elevators, so we have to walk to the top. Once I climbed an entire 80-floor building, and it took two hours to get down. When I got to the first floor, my legs could not stop shaking,” he said.

    City recorder

    Many people like skyscrapers because they look impressive, but Xu is more interested in the process of construction than the finished product.

    “I am obsessed with the process that turns a bleak construction site into a glorious part of the cityscape. I think this may be part of being a migrant. We have to find beauty in inauspicious things,” Xu said.

    Many people think Xu is only interested in getting good shots. “It is not like that. Our camera is merely a tool for recording the amazing things we see,” he said.

    Most of Xu’s pictures focus on the construction process. Concrete mixers and construction workers feature heavily in his photographs.

“I like taking photos from tall buildings. It is an interesting way of recording the city’s development.”

— Xu Guizheng, an administrator of gaoloumi.com, an online forum for fans of skyscrapers and photography

    Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    XU GUIZHENG is leader of a small group of people with an unusual hobby. Xu and friends spend their spare time climbing to the top of skyscrapers and taking panoramic photographs of Shenzhen.

    “I like taking photos from tall buildings. It is an interesting way of recording the city’s development,” said Xu, 27.

    Xu recently climbed to the top of the Ping An International Finance Center, a building which is far from complete.

    “The building, started construction in 2009 and I come here once every few months to record the progress of the construction,” he said.

    According to the construction plan, the building will stand at 660 meters when completed, about 300 meters taller than Diwang Mansion.

    Xu came to Shenzhen about four years ago and has climbed to the top of nearly every building with more than 40 floors in the city. “I’ve been to Kingkey 100 four times. The first time I went there, it was still unfinished,” he said.

    “Standing on top of a skyscraper looking out over a city gives one a peaceful feeling. It helps us realize how insignificant our worries are,” he said.

    All for fun

    While his job is exhibition designer, Xu is also an administrator of gaoloumi.com, an online forum for fans of skyscrapers and photography.

    “There are now 16 members of our group. Six of us go along every time, the rest only come occasionally due to other commitments,” Xu said.

    Xu’s group like to refer to themselves as explorers because climbing the buildings can be very physically demanding.

    “Some buildings have restrictions as to who they will allow to enter. When we go to those buildings, I usually wear a hard hat and they let me in because they think I’m a construction worker,” he said.

    In Xu’s experience, the best time to climb a building is when it’s about to be completed. When trying to enter a new building, Xu’s first challenge is to build a rapport with the security guard. “You have to learn to be persuasive, but the most important thing is to be persistent and stay positive,” he said.

    Once, Xu was refused entry to an 86-story building. “We spent a long time trying to persuade the security guard but failed. In the end, we entered the building through the elevator via the underground car park,” he said.

    Normally, Xu takes an elevator to the top floor of a building and then climbs several sets of stairs to get onto the roof, but sometimes it is not that easy.

    “Some unfinished buildings don’t have elevators, so we have to walk to the top. Once I climbed an entire 80-floor building, and it took two hours to get down. When I got to the first floor, my legs could not stop shaking,” he said.

    City recorder

    Many people like skyscrapers because they look impressive, but Xu is more interested in the process of construction than the finished product.

    “I am obsessed with the process that turns a bleak construction site into a glorious part of the cityscape. I think this may be part of being a migrant. We have to find beauty in inauspicious things,” Xu said.

    Many people think Xu is only interested in getting good shots. “It is not like that. Our camera is merely a tool for recording the amazing things we see,” he said.

    Most of Xu’s pictures focus on the construction process. Concrete mixers and construction workers feature heavily in his photographs.

    “We are not afraid to doing dangerous things to get a good view or a better angle. Nearly all of us have put ourselves at great risk to pursue this hobby, but it is all worth it. Skyscrapers are symbols of modernity and we are privileged to witness the rapid modernization of this city,” he said.