Chinese Developer Reaches for the Heavens, Captures Hostility

"Broad Group, a manufacturer based here in Changsha, has been planning to erect the world’s tallest building here this winter, and in record time," writes Keith Bradsher. "The 202-story 'Sky City' is supposed to be assembled in only four months from factory-built modules of steel and concrete early next year on the city’s outskirts. The digging of foundations began on July 20."

"But the project’s scale and speed have set off a burst of national introspection in recent days about whether Chinese municipal leaders and developers have gone too far in their increasingly manic reach for the skies."

With work on the building suspended as the developer awaits further approvals, it's unclear whether the world's next tallest building will ever get off the ground.