A ceremony was held at the Canton Tower, on the afternoon of September 12, to launch the Great Towers Alliance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The alliance consists of the Canton Tower (600 meters high) in Guangzhou, Pingan Financial Center-Free Sky (547.6 meters high) in Shenzhen, Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre (338 meters high), and sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck (393 meters high), all of which are members of the World Federation of Great Towers. The first three are the tallest towers in their respective cities, while sky100 boasts the highest indoor observation deck in Hong Kong.

Banners of the four towers at the ceremony (Photo: Canton Tower)

The launching ceremony kicked off with a lion dance performance, attracting around 100 guests from the government, industry, and media and witnessing a new chapter of deepening cooperation among the four major cities in the Greater Bay Area in tower sightseeing.

The lion dance performance at the ceremony (Photo: Canton Tower)

It is expected that the alliance will enhance cultural and tourism cooperation between cities in the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging each city's strengths, it aims to increase tourism competitiveness and help establish the Greater Bay Area as a globally recognized destination.

"The four towers are all landmarks in our cities, and we join the alliance with the hope to connect the unique cultures of each city through tourism," said Vincent Tung, director of the marketing department for the operating company of the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre.

David Luo, general manager of the operating company of Canton Tower, explained the link between tower sightseeing and city culture. In his opinion, though a tower occupies a small area, its height offers a panoramic view of the entire city, from distant mountains and parks to urban buildings and business districts. 

"You can hardly reject the passion to fall in love with the culture of a city when you are viewing it from the sky," said Luo.

For Yuan Cheng, General Manager of Pingan Financial Center-Free Sky, skyscrapers are windows to a city's history. "For example, standing on the 116th floor of Free Sky, you can trace the course of urban development of Shenzhen when you look around the views below you. The skyscrapers themselves are also a kind of symbol of economic growth in the past few decades," said Cheng. 

Governmental officials and representatives of the four towers taking a group photo at the ceremony (Photo: Canton Tower)

During the launching ceremony, representatives from the four towers signed a strategic cooperation agreement, setting the stage for future collaboration. In the near future, it is expected that the four towers will share their resources and jointly launch cultural and tourism products.