This 30,000-Ton Building Was Moved Like a Chess Piece

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]30,000 tons, [music] not a building, the weight of a small mountain. And China moved it without demolishing it. In Xiamen, [music] the government spent $39 million building a massive bus terminal. Then the high-speed rail line came. The route wasn't changing. The building was right in the way. Demolish it? $39 million gone. Start from scratch.

[00:00:22]>> [music] >> Years wasted. China chose a different path. Rails were laid beneath the building. 500 hydraulic jacks were installed. A few centimeters [music] every day. Silent, slow, controlled. 40 days later, the 30,000-ton [music] building had rotated nearly 90°.

[00:00:39]Not a single crack, not a single broken window.

[00:00:42]>> [music] >> Sometimes the best engineering isn't about demolishing, it's about moving.

[00:00:47]Did you think this was even possible?

[00:00:49]Let us know in the comments. [music]