Introducing his design for the new Bank of China headquarters in Hong Kong, I.M. Pei described the commission as one that held considerable emotional appeal. His father was the bank’s first Hong Kong manager of the Nationalist era. ‘You can’t expect strong traditional Chinese elements.’ he cautioned. ‘I didn’t design a pagoda.’ The only recognisably Chinese aspect in what he proposed was a two-ton granite base, reminiscent of Beijing’s ancient city gates. From that rose a towering monolith of almost crystalline jaggedness. its huge, interlocking triangular surfaces tapering, through a series of indentations arotind a central spine, to a slim bladed spire supporting two antennae that thrust well beyond its 70 storeys to a total height of 315 metres, making it the tallest building in Hong Kong and. brietly. in Asia.

The result elicited admiration from those excited by innovative and aesthetically pleasing design. Pei contended that his design had been inspired by a bamboo sapling, regarded in Chinese culture as a symbol of strength and endurance. Whatever its provenance, it yielded a chiaroscuro of lighting effects, depending on the time of day and the angle from which (he building was viewed. It simply dwarfed everything in its vicinity, not just in stature but in style.

The century’s most auspicious date. 8 August 1988, so regarded because the numeral 8 – boat in Cantonese – sounds akin to the word for prosperity, was selected for the topping out ceremony. On 17 May 1990 the official opening unveiled further wonders within, including a 15 storey high atrium, with slanting glass apex, allowing sunlight to Hood the banking hall. A series of pools and waterfalls, descending through the bank’s terraced garden surrounds, addedfeng slttti enhancement because, as Pei pointed out. in Chinese culture ‘water is an auspicious and restorative force.”

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