Collapse of historic Chinese building's roof revives concerns about construction standards
An investigation is being held into the collapse of a roof at a tourist site in central China following a major renovation project that finished last year.
Hundreds of tiles fell off the roof of the Fengyang Drum Tower in Anhui province on Monday evening in an incident captured on film that was widely shared online. No injuries were reported.
Fengyang county was the hometown of Hongwu, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the tower is one of the main local tourist attractions.
The local culture and tourism bureau said the collapse was under investigation and the incident prompted media questions about the quality of the repair work carried out on the site.
The tower was built in 1375 in the early years of the Ming dynasty and it underwent extensive repairs in 1995. Further repair works on the roof began in 2023 and finished last year.
The most recent project cost 2.9 million yuan (US$402,600), according to digital news platform Thepaper.cn, which cited local procurement data.
Its report alleged that the contractor involved had a record of illegally subcontracting renovations to unqualified personnel and allowing them to undertake projects under its name.
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