The original development plans called for two sister towers that were dubbed Ariel and Taeping. Sadly, the financial crisis of the early 1980s prevented funding for the Taeping building from being secured, and it was never built.

 

The Ariel and Taeping buildings' names were derived from the story of two 19th-century clipper ships that participated in one of the greatest races of all time. It began in China, crossed the Indian Ocean, rounded the tip of Africa, and finished in London, covering a total of 16,000 miles. After three months at sea, the Ariel and the Taeping finished the race within minutes of each other. The Ariel's design was remarkable for the period and is commemorated in the sailboat sculpture and fountains in Ariel's main atrium. Ariel’s large meeting and event space, the Taeping Room, immortalizes its racing companion.

 

 

At the height of the sailing era, four of the world’s fastest clippers raced home with the season’s precious early cargo of tea. One of the finest ships of her type, the clipper “Ariel” is still remembered for her achievement in the exciting race from China to London in 1866.

 

The Ariel was built in 1865, her life was only seven years, but she made sailing ship history. On her first homeward voyage from China she all but carried off the highest honors, sharing the premium with the Taepinq. On her second outward voyage to China the Ariel set a record that was never beaten.

 

The Ariel was one of the best-known of the famous China tea clippers, which were among the most interesting and romantic of all sailing-ship types. From the discovery of the charms of China tea in Pepys’s day to the cutting of the Suez Canal, this trade was one of the most important for sailing ships, demanding a special and frequently modified class of vessels. Of these types, the latest-designed clippers were the most interesting. Read on

 

 

LYGTC Brochure for Ariel