MUMBAI: This should come as sweet music to lovers of architecture. The southern Chinese city Guangzhou plans to enter the record books by building the tallest tower in the world.

The Guangzhou TV Tower is expected to rise between 580-600 metres (1,914-1,980 feet) above the ground

A report in AFP stated that the tower will be located on the banks of the Pearl River. The new TV tower will occupy 84,880 square metres in the business district of Tianhe.

The report adds that officials expect the project to be open to tourists by 2008. The reason for the height is primarily due to the television transmitter

Another report in China Radio International stated that the tower's final design had been selected and will soon be given to the city government for final approval. If all goes well, construction work will begin in December this year.

Located in a primarily residential area, many houses have been destroyed to facilitate the construction. The City Construction Office, however, has reached a compensation agreement with the area's population and relocation plans are already underway. Guangdong TV will move into the tower soon after completion, while the city's old TV tower will be pulled down or left for other purposes.