Defying demolition orders, a Chinese man turned his home into a rickety 11-story tower. Now tourists are coming.According to The New York Times, a unique structure stands tall in a field of knee-high grass, resembling a combination of a camping tent and a giant wedding cake. The eleven-story tower, made of dark red wooden rooms that decrease in size as they ascend, appears to be held together by a tangle of cords stretching from the peak to the ground.
Inside, the structure feels just as precarious. The ceilings are supported by repurposed utility poles, and power strips and wires hang from low-hanging beams. Buckets of rainwater are strategically placed to help bear the weight of the tower. The homemade ladders that connect the floors are steep and often lack handrails.
The designer, builder, and resident of the tower, 43-year-old Chen Tianming, navigates the ladders with ease. He proudly shows off the fifth-floor reading nook and the sixth-floor open-air tearoom. From the ninth floor, he surveys the standardized apartment buildings in the distance where his neighbors live.
However, not everyone is impressed by Chen’s creation. Some say the house is shabby and could easily be blown down by the wind. This observation seemed plausible when The New York Times visited Chen last month.
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