Originally published 2018-09-27.
This 400-foot tall tower in the Chinese city of Guiyang has an unbelievable waterfall which streams down the entire side of the skyscraper.
This waterfall cascades for a distance of 350 feet (108 metres) before it lands in a collection tank at the building's foot. Then it's pumped back to the top of the falls.
The Kan Kan News reported that the waterfall generated local controversy as the electricity required to power the four pumps costs 800 yuan, or approximately $118, per hour.
The building's managers argue that the waterfall will run only on special occasions and uses recycled water from rain or the tap.
Yet, the structure has proven to be a tourist attraction and a symbol—an occasionally surprising one—for this city.
"People in the southwestern city of Guiyang telephoned newspapers to report what they believed was a massive water leak," wrote the Times of the U.K.
"When reporters arrived at the building they realized that the owner of Liebian Mansion had created a waterfall that gushes down the side."
A waterfall with a mechanical cycle
Unlike a river-fed fall, the feature described here collects water below and pumps it upward again. That circulation is central to understanding the design. The impressive vertical drop is only the visible part of a system that also needs energy and maintenance. The cost estimate belongs to the report's publication period, not a current operating bill.
Ask what the spectacle contributes
The managers' claim that the feature runs on special occasions gives the discussion a useful dimension: frequency matters as well as power demand while operating. A photograph cannot settle whether the installation is a worthwhile use of resources. It can open a more concrete conversation about public enjoyment, water reuse, energy and the choices a city makes in creating a landmark.
The Liebian International Building
The 121-metre Liebian International Building, developed by the Ludi Industry Group, was still unfinished in July 2018; it was planned to house a shopping mall, offices and a luxury hotel. The company calls the 108-metre cascade “the world’s largest man-made waterfall” and says it “pays homage to the local region’s rugged nature”. Its water comes from runoff, rainwater and groundwater stored in large underground tanks. Although the feature had been finished two years earlier, it had been switched on only six times by July 2018, which the owners put down to the 800 yuan an hour that pumping costs. Chinese internet users mocked it as a waste of money; one joked that running it every few months would at least save on cleaning the windows. In 2014 President Xi Jinping had called for an end to “weird architecture” in China.
Sources: The Peninsula/AFP, 27 July 2018: China ‘waterfall’ skyscraper hit by torrent of ridicule Atlas Obscura: Liebian International Building
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