The Only Entity to Own Hong Kong's Tallest Building Twice

Ever since its completion in 1990, the Bank of China Tower has been an iconic landmark of Hong Kong’s skyline. Standing at a height of 367.4 meters (1,205.4 ft), it became the first building outside the United States to surpass 1,000 ft in height. Consequently, it also became the tallest tower in Hong Kong, surpassing the previous record holder, the Hopewell Centre, by a whopping 145.4 meters (477.4 ft). To put that height difference into perspective, the nearby Bank of America Tower stands 146 meters (479 ft) tall.

That record wouldn’t last long, though. Only two years later, in 1992, the 374-meter-tall (1,227 ft) Central Plaza would beat the Bank of China Tower by a mere 6.9 meters (21.6 ft). However, while the Bank of China Tower didn’t hold the record for very long, it wasn't the first time the Bank of China owned the tallest building in Hong Kong.

Located only 150 meters (500 ft) from the Bank of China Tower, the old Bank of China Building held the title of tallest building in Hong Kong for 13 years, between 1950 and 1963. Designed as a propaganda tool to show China’s Communist supremacy over Great Britain’s capitalism, its goal was to surpass the third-generation HSBC Main Building. As a result, the Bank of China Building was intentionally designed to stand 6 meters (20 ft) taller than its competitor's neighboring headquarters.