Taipei 101 (臺北101大樓)

 Height: 509 m (1,670 ft)

Stories: 101

Completed in: 2004

Also known as the Taipei Financial Center, Taipei 101 is a 509-m, 101-story landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District of Taipei, Taiwan. TAIPEI is an acronym for "Technology, Art, Innovation, People, Environment and Identity", and the 101 stories are symbolic of exceeding 100, a number associated with perfection in Chinese culture. The tower is in the shape of the traditional Chinese pagoda, and the tall spire at the top was inspired by bamboo plants in China. As an icon of Taiwan, it appears frequently in films and TV shows.

Two high-speed elevators, at the top speed of 16.83m/s (55.22 ft/s), shoot visitors up from the 5th floor to the 89th floor observation deck in only 37 seconds. The building also features the world's largest and heaviest visible damper, a massive 660-ton steel ball suspended from the 92nd floor to counter wind-induced movement.

Upon completion in 2004, the US$ 1.80 billion mega skyscraper had been the tallest building in the world until Dubai's 828m-tall Burj Khalifa outranked it in January, 2010. It was included in the world's seven engineering wonders by the Discovery Channel in 2005, and the seven new wonders of the world by the Newsweek magazine in 2006.

In December, 2004, the well-known French "Spiderman" Alain Robert scaled the tower and reached the top in four hours. Later in 2007, the renowned Austrian base jumper Felix Baumgartner leaped from the 91st floor and landed successfully.

 Also see Top 10 skyscraper cities in China