The unfinished Shanghai World Financial Center eclipsed Jinmao Tower to become the tallest building on the Chinese mainland as it scraped the sky at 423.8 meters Sunday, exceeding Jinmao's 420.5 meters.

Construction work will enter the most difficult phase in the next three months as a trapezoid-shaped hole will be built on the top of the financial center. The void can help the building withstand powerful earthquakes.

Work on the tower has slowed because the remaining floors have different heights and workers need to follow different instructions. High winds near the upper floors of the skyscraper will also make it more dangerous for workers, the Shanghai Youth Daily report said.

The developer, Mori Building Co Ltd, is scheduled to complete exterior construction on Sep. 9 and finish everything on March 3, 2008. The 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center will reach 492 meters upon completion.

Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan is the world's tallest building at 509 meters with the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, second at 452 meters. Several buildings around the world have either been proposed or are under construction that will alter the list including the 800-meter Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The Shanghai World Financial Center, which resumed construction in 2005 after a seven-year delay because of a cash crunch and a sharp decline in demand for office space amid the Asian financial crisis, will be built into a mixed-use tower comprising office, hotel, business, conference and sightseeing facilities.

(Shanghai Daily June 19, 2007)