China Photos | Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower

Oriental Pearl TV Tower on Pudong

The Oriental Pearl Tower, located in the 'Pudong New Area,' has become an indelible landmark on the Shanghai skyline. The Pearl TV tower is one of the best viewing spots for taking in the immensity of the Shanghai cityscape.

The Oriental Pearl Tower was completed in 1994, and is the third tallest TV tower in the world at 1,535 feet (468 meters). The structure's design is based on a Tan dynasty poem the describes the haunting sound a lute.

Pearl Tower Statistics

The tower has three observation levels open to the public. The highest observation floor, called the 'Space Module,' is 350 meters up. The second highest observation level called the "Sightseeing Floor" has two floors at 259 meters and 263 meters. The lower of the two floors features open-air viewing.

The photograph above is a view of Puxi or 'Huangpu West' with the Bund on the upper left. The Wusong River is intersecting the Huangpu River at the center of the photo.

Park Hyatt & Shanghai World Financial Center

The view from the highest level provides a breathtaking panoramic view. The view in the photo below shows the construction of what Shanghai officials hope will be the tallest building in the world, the Park Hyatt Shanghai and the Shanghai World Financial Center. When completed in 2008, the structure will be a 'mixed use' skyscraper, with office space occupying the first 70 to 80 floors, and the Park Hyatt occupying the top portion.

The Shanghai World Financial Center, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), will have an estimated height of 1,614 feet (492 m), making it the world's second tallest building after Taipei, Taiwan's 101 building. There may be a last-minute addition to the top of the structure making it the tallest building in the world, but even if it achieves this status it will be short-lived, as the Burj Dubai will be an estimated 560 meters tall when it is completed in 2009.

The photo above shows the view of the Huangpu River, with the districts of Huangpu and Luwan to the right, and Pudong to the left.

Pearl TV Tower Facilities

There is a revolving restaurant at the 267 meter level, and a 20 room hotel called the 'Space Hotel,' which is located within the five smaller spheres that sit between the two large spheres.

Pudong is connected to the Huangpu district by a series of bridges and tunnels, with the Yan'an Lu East Road Tunnel (below, left) being the fastest way to the Pearl Tower from the Bund area.

At the lowest of the three observation levels is "Space City" (below), an amusement level at 90 meters high. The Space City area is geared towards young children, featuring rides and exhibits with a somewhat hoaky 'space' theme.