Farewell to tilting symbol of quake

– Fruit, flowers and incense paper were laid on a table yesterday as authorities prepared a ceremony before demolishing a precariously tilting building that has become a symbol of Taiwan’s biggest quake in 25 years.

The glass-fronted Uranus building, located in Hualien, the city nearest the quake’s epicentre, is a 10-storey mix of shops and apartments that has stood for nearly 40 years.

Wednesday’s magnitude-7.4 earthquake caused it to tilt at a 45-degree angle, its twisted exterior quickly becoming one of the most recognisable images to emerge from the disaster.

By yesterday, authorities said they would start taking it apart, first preparing a table of offerings in front of the building to ensure a smooth demolition and to “soothe the lost souls” of those killed in the quake.

Chips, instant noodles, bottles of soda, and folded piles of paper money for the dead were set alongside baskets of flowers and a container holding incense sticks.

“[We] offer sacrifices and pray for blessing for the demolition work of the Uranus building,” an announcer said.

Traditional cultural rites like blessing a new home or providing offerings to spirits after buying a plot of land are commonplace in Taiwan. Hualien county chief Hsu Chen-wei and other officials wearing construction vests each lit a joss stick and bowed to the building.

“The Uranus was built in 1986. All structures age due to time, earthquakes and many other conditions,” she said later.

“We hope to complete the demolition within two weeks so Hualien people can return to their regular lives. We hope that everyone will not be in such a panicky situation,” Hsu said.

Workers then began using a pink crane to smash the glass windows covering the building’s exterior, revealing the inner brick facade as rain started to drizzle.

By around 1pm, a severe aftershock hit the city, alarming the construction team as the building appeared to lean more perilously forward.

So far, at least 10 people are known to have died from the quake, with more than 1 106 injured – though authorities have not specified the severity of the injuries. –