
A fire has destroyed the annex of CCTV new headquaters in Beijing an hour ago. I was chatting with a friend based in Beijing and he told me CCTV was on fire. At the same time, I was in Twitter and Micro bloggers from Twitter are reporting the news. Not only did Twitter get the news before mainstream media, it seems as if it got the news before emergency services. I read it was cause by unregulated Chinese New Year fireworks. According to Reuters, the destroyed building housed the Mandarin Oriental hotel in eastern Beijing, which was supposed to open in 2009.
You can read the news here: CNN, Reuters, Asia-Pacific News, and Xinhuanet.
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My name is Bibi Liew and I'm a third-generation oversea Chinese. I'm born on the 3rd of November and that makes me a typical Scorpio. I stayed in several countries and ended up in Shanghai for reasons that are still not entirely clear to myself... I came to China and work as an Expatriate in 2004. I am an Interior Architect and design Hotels and Club Houses in many Cities in China. Ron and I will relocate to Nanchang in March 2010 and I'll be a WAHM!
Emm
February 10th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Bad news about the fire…
…but wow! Your new blog layout is amazing!!!!!!!!
Bibi Liew
February 10th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Thanks Emm!!
I read the shocking news this morning that a firefighter was dead after battling the new hotel blaze.
Shanghainerd
February 10th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
It’s an amazing building. Hope everyone is safe!
Karen
February 10th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I just have to say it’s kinda sad as I thought the architecture was weirdly awesome!!
Miscellaneous rambling and musing of a Shanghai Expat woman. » Koolhaas Masterpiece TVCC after the fire
February 11th, 2009 at 12:16 am
[...] dollar modernist architecture unveiled for 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing is now an eyesore. The blaze renderes the 31 story structure unuseable, as the titamium alloy and zinc of the outer structure [...]
China Doll
February 11th, 2009 at 12:59 am
They should ban fireworks like HK! but at least the boot wasn’t officially in use.
Bibi Liew
February 11th, 2009 at 11:54 am
@Shanghainerd
A fireman died and 7 was injured!
@Karen
Yeah… it was said that CCTV hired a firework company to set off hundreds of large firecrackers outside the building. The wind was strong and the fire facilities inside the building have not been put into use yet.
@China Doll
well, 1 country, 2 systems!