Have you ever noticed how many skyscrapers Shenzhen has built in the past few years? Well, I don’t know the exact number, but it must be enormous. In fact, according to the research of China Daily, 87 percent of all skyscraper construction in the world is in China. In a few years, it said that there will be more than 800 skyscrapers in China. China will soon become the country of skyscrapers. For instance, in 2000, the year I was born, there were only six buildings in Shenzhen that were higher than 200 meters. But now, there are 20 buildings of over 200 meters.

    Why do we love tall buildings so much? Unlike what Western religions might indicate, constructing extremely high buildings conveys no religious meaning for the Chinese.

    In Babylon of ancient Mesopotamia, tall buidings were part of the culture. The ancient people thought that if they could go high enough, they could communicate with their gods. However, skyscrapers are relatively novel in China. But now we seem to be very addicted to skyscrapers. In the last few decades, China has made superb advances in the economy, which makes it possible for the local government or investors to spend more time creating such landmarks.

    So far, it seems to be a good thing. But there is a certain theory which suggests that building skyscrapers lead to economic depression. This theory has been “proved” several times. For example, the Great Depression happened right after the Empire State Building was built.

    All in all, I think we should reconsider why we are building these landmarks. Who knows whether China will be the next victim of a depression due to such extremes in speeding up its economic growth?