Goldin Finance 117

A skyline project with a long, interrupted timeline

At the edge of Tianjin’s high-tech development zone, a slender tower has become a landmark not only for its height but also for the length and uncertainty of its construction. Often called Goldin Finance 117 or China 117 Tower, the building is recorded by the Council on Vertical Urbanism at 596.6 metres. Its name comes from the project’s planned 117 above-ground floors, while the database counts additional levels in its technical profile. For a visitor, the important distinction is that this is a major building project, not a finished observation tower with a public deck.

Construction began in 2008, and the main structure reached its top in September 2015. The project then stalled amid financial difficulties. For years, the huge frame stood as a visible marker of a development that had not been completed, and descriptions of it as an “abandoned” tower became common. That label now needs qualification: official Chinese reporting says construction resumed in April 2025 after legal and financial arrangements enabled work to restart. The building’s story is therefore not simply a tale of abandonment, but one of a megaproject moving through a new phase.

What the tower was designed to become

The Council on Vertical Urbanism classifies the building as a hotel-and-office project and records a height of 596.6 metres, or about 1,957 feet. The design was conceived as a major commercial high-rise within a wider development area. Its scale is easy to understand from the ground: the structure rises to nearly 600 metres, placing it among the tallest buildings in China by structural height. The project name refers to the planned floor count, not a public floor or a visitor attraction called “117.”

Stories about supertall buildings often treat a crown, an observation floor or a grand opening as inevitable. That is not a safe assumption here. The latest official reports reviewed for this article describe active construction, including work on the tower crown, rather than a completed building open to guests. Intended uses and architectural features recorded in a building database describe the project profile; they do not confirm that a hotel, office, restaurant or observation space is currently operating. Keep the difference between design information and public access clear when planning a visit.

Construction resumes and the crown takes shape

In March 2026, Xinhua reported that a steel component for the tower’s diamond-shaped crown was lifted into place, marking a new phase of crown construction. Tianjin municipal reporting described an eight-tonne steel element hoisted to around 596 metres on 28 March. The city’s report said the crown structure was planned at 17.5 metres high and 55 metres across at its waist, with a total steel weight of 298 tonnes. These measurements concern construction work, not a viewing platform or a space visitors can enter.

The renewed project is also tied to the area around the tower. Xinhua reported that the city was planning infrastructure and public-service projects nearby and that firms had signed agreements connected with the site. Such associated work may change roads, public spaces and the surrounding district over time, but those plans do not automatically create a public route into the tower. The reliable travel takeaway is to treat the construction zone as an active worksite: obey barriers, use only ordinary public streets and check local notices for traffic changes.

What visitors can and cannot plan

The tower is a useful point of interest for architecture-minded travelers already exploring Tianjin, but the sources reviewed do not publish a tourist entrance, visitor hours, ticketing, guided tours or an observation-deck opening date. No public interior access should be assumed while official reports describe ongoing construction. If the building is on your itinerary, confirm the exact location and road access through current local maps, and view it only from places that are clearly open to the public. Do not enter a fenced site or follow construction vehicles into the project area.

Because completion and future uses remain subject to change, older pages that call the structure permanently unfinished or announce a precise opening date may no longer reflect the project’s status. The strongest current evidence is dated: Xinhua reported the restart in 2025 and the crown lift in March 2026; Tianjin’s municipal report described construction operations at the top of the tower. Until the developer or local authorities publish visitor arrangements, there is no verified sightseeing schedule to recommend. A careful visit means seeing the building as a work in progress and checking again before travelling specifically to it.

Tianjin 117 is compelling precisely because its story is still unfolding. Its nearly 597-metre frame expresses the ambition of a city development project, while the long halt and recent restart reveal how finance, planning and construction shape a skyline over decades. A visitor can appreciate that contrast without exaggerating what is available on site: the tower is an architectural subject to observe from lawful public areas, not yet a confirmed attraction to enter. Its next chapter will be clearer only when official completion and public-access details are announced.