Township builds Church in form of giant high-heeled shoe to attract more tourists

A township in southwest Taiwan is building a church in the form of a giant high-heeled shoe, made of metal and blue glass tiles, seeking to attract more tourists to the area.

Still under construction, the structure is some 17 meters (55.77 ft) tall at the highest point, the heel.

Talia Pan, Recreation Section Manager of the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Administration which is running the project, said that she wanted to turn a sad part of history into something positive.

"Because of drinking water shortage in the south western coastal area in the 1960s, residents had to drill deep wells to get drinking water.

Pan also said, "Because of arsenic in the water, there were cases of Blackfoot disease ... (which if) severe, the only option to save a life is to amputate both legs."

"Because of this, a lot of women lost the opportunity to walk into marriage, walk into a new life chapter on high-heeled shoes.