Basic moments
The tower was named "The Pearl of the East" for a reason: when looking at it, associations arise with beads of various sizes, strung on a base that tapers upwards. There are 11 spheres in total, the largest of them is 50 meters in diameter, and the smallest is 9 meters in diameter. The height from the base to the tip of the spire is 468 m. Despite the apparent fragility, the structure is very stable. This is primarily achieved due to the fact that it is installed on three pillars.
The idea of such an unusual design came from the architects under the impression of the work of Bo Juyi, who praised the playing of the traditional Chinese instrument - pipa. In his poetry, music is compared to the sounds produced by falling pearls on a jade dish.
What to see
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shanghai, therefore, in addition to its direct function, it also serves as a recreation center. So, in the largest spheres there are observation platforms. The largest of them is especially attractive because of the panoramic floor. Those who overcome fear will be able to take truly impressive pictures and see the city from an unusual perspective. It is imperative to climb here not only in the daytime, but also at night, when lights come on in Shanghai, whose light is reflected in the dark waters of the Huangpu River. And the tower itself looks fantastic at this time: a project of three-dimensional illumination was specially created for it.
The rise to each of the levels is carried out using high-speed elevators. Since not everyone is accustomed to such a fast movement (4 meters per second), it is recommended to swallow frequently while driving - to balance the pressure so that the ears do not get blocked.
The Shanghai History Museum is located on the lower level. A visit to it will be an exciting adventure, as the expositions include panoramic scenes from the everyday life of the Chinese. For example, you can see a trade caravan moving along the Silk Road, the process of unloading goods, and so on. The figurines are made of wax and are distinguished by significant detail, there are many interactive details, and traditional music sounds in each of the halls.
Another highlight of the Oriental Pearl Tower is the restaurant with a movable floor. Rotating slowly, it allows visitors to enjoy their dinner while admiring the city's gorgeous scenery. The institution is focused on tourists, therefore, visitors are offered dishes of both national and European cuisines. The restaurant opens at 17:00, entrance fee is charged. Having bought a ticket, you can treat yourself to the buffet with almost no restrictions. The hike should be completed with a visit to the souvenir shop and chocolate shop.
For tourists
Getting to the tower is very easy. It is located in Pudong area, the closest station is Lujiazui station of the second subway line. You can also get here by bus routes No. 81, 797 and 961, you need to get off at the Mingshang Road Stop.
A visit to the "Shanghai Pearl" is paid - the price ranges from 130 to 220 yuan and will depend on what height the tourists want to climb: 90, 263 or 350 meters. The panoramic observation deck is located just at the central level, so an average ticket (160 yuan) will be enough to admire the beautiful views of Shanghai.
The TV tower is open daily from 8:00 to 22:00, but experienced tourists recommend coming here in the morning or in the evening so as not to stand in long queues for tickets and elevators.
Of all the Chinese cities, Shanghai is considered one of the most beautiful and interesting for tourists. This place is known to travelers as "Paris East". And, as in real France, there is an attraction that attracts - the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.
This building is not one of the largest. Despite the fact that its height is 468 meters, there are buildings even higher. In the top of the tallest towers in all of Asia, the TV Tower is only in third place.
The tower was built relatively recently, in the nineties of the last century. This is noticeable if you consider this modern building from all sides. A well-known Chinese engineer was involved in the project. The Jia Huangcheng building was supposed to become one of the main attractions of the city. The engineer managed to translate his ambitious plans into reality. Construction of the tower began in 1991, and within three years this futuristic structure became functional. Radio and television broadcasting began from the TV Tower. Also, almost immediately, the first visitors began to be admitted there. Appreciated it in the first days, immediately making the institution popular and interesting for tourists.
The building combines traditional oriental details with modern technology. The location for the construction of the "Pearl" was also well chosen. The TV Tower is located in a spacious green area next to the Huangpu River (陆家嘴 metro station). On both sides are the Nanpu and Yangpu bridges. They symbolize the two dragons that guard the Pearl of the Orient. The pearl theme continues elsewhere. All levels of the tall TV tower are decorated with huge spheres. They just resemble luxurious pearls that slowly descend onto a large dish.
Everyone can visit this miracle of architecture. To do this, just pay for the entrance (about $ 30 per person) and take the high-speed elevator. You should definitely appreciate this innovation. It moves at a speed of seven meters per second, therefore, despite the fact that the tower is high, the desired floor can be reached in a matter of minutes. Returning to the cost of the admission ticket, it should be said that it depends on which parts of the tower you plan to visit.
There are many interesting things in the TV Tower. There is a full-fledged restaurant there. Local chefs cook deliciously, but the specialty of the establishment is not at all in the kitchen, but in the fact that it is located at an altitude of 267 meters. It turns out that at dinner you can see Shanghai from a bird's eye view, enjoying a magnificent view. A little higher, at a height of 271 meters, there is a spacious dance floor, a bar and karaoke. As in Japan, in China karaoke is a big fan and in order to perform songs, single booths are built. After singing, you can go to the transparent glass platform and be horrified at what height you are!)
Higher up is the workspace - a spacious penthouse, a conference room and a small coffee shop where you can recharge your batteries. In addition to a place for work and rest, you can find a full-fledged hotel here. If you like to relax in exotic places, and you are ready to shell out a rather big sum for a night at an altitude of several hundred meters, then you will definitely like it here. Here you can choose one of 250 numbers. It is worth booking everything in advance so as not to be left without a room.
Another interesting place is the museum, which is dedicated to the history of the city. It is located right at the foot of the Pearl. This corner will appeal to both those who are really interested in the history of China and those who just want to see something interesting. There are memorials dedicated to the life of the peoples who lived here before, and various expositions with photographs. Looking at them, you can learn a lot about the past of the country. Everything looks very impressive, because simple wax figures and stone statues are decorated with jewelry: pearls, diamonds, jade and other bright details. The huge lions are also worth appreciating. These statues are replicas of the ones that guard the Hong Kong-Shanghai Bank.
It is worth mentioning separately that there are two “pearls” that, unlike those reserved for a restaurant, hotel and other premises, are not open to the public, and none of the locals knows why they are needed.
At night, the Oriental Pearl of Shanghai looks incredibly beautiful, because this entire huge building is illuminated. It turns out to be a truly bewitching sight. To many, this building resembles an attraction. This impression is complemented by the fact that the building has as many as six high-speed elevators and even the only double-deck elevator in the entire country. The main elevators are capable of moving no more than thirty people at a time. But the double-deck can accommodate as many as 50 passengers. Over time, the number of elevators may well increase, because people are increasingly interested in this attraction. This also applies to residents of the Middle Kingdom and guests of the country.
The modern TV Tower is so noticeable and attractive that it is impossible to bypass it in world culture. This symbol of Shanghai often appears in various films, including Hollywood.
So, for example, in one of the Transformers films, she flickered in the background when one of the Autobots jumped out of the plane. She was also a background in the movie "Fantastic Four". The building was played more interestingly in Life After People. The film showed one of the options for the development of the future, or rather, what will happen to this famous TV Tower in just 70 years. One of the tragic endings is shown, when the tower heels, flooded by the waters of the river and falls. The plot is similar in mood and in the movie "Godzilla: Final Wars". Here the tower is blown up, destroying the building completely.
But these are just films, the creators of which are inspired by how large and large the Oriental Pearl turned out to be. In fact, it is also very durable. Despite the fact that the building looks exotic, and there is no certainty that if something happens it will be able to withstand both an earthquake and an enemy attack, the TV Tower is very solid in reality. The supports are made wisely, so all people who go upstairs in the high-speed elevator do not risk their lives at all.
Summing up, we can say that the Oriental Pearl, or "Oriental Pearl Tower" is one of the main symbols of the whole of Shanghai. Like other similar attractions, it brings its owners a lot of money, because more than three million tourists visit it a year. By the way, it is worth mentioning here separately that this tower, unlike many similar ones, was not built so that television and radio broadcasting could be carried out from there. They planned to make a grandiose attraction for visitors and locals out of the building. The result even surpassed all the expectations of the creators.
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is one of the first high-rise buildings in Pudong New District. The construction was completed in 1994. Height with a spire - 468 meters.
Today it is one of the hallmarks of Shanghai, and the observation decks in the spheres are the most impressive in the city. From here you can see everything that I talked about in previous posts and even more.
Construction of the project Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. was the tallest building in the PRC until 2007, when the SWFC was built nearby.
Now the tower is the 5th tallest tower in the world. It is inferior to the towers in Tokyo, Guangzhou, Toronto and, of course, our Ostankino tower in Moscow.
However, of all the existing TV towers, this one is the most unusual. The largest sphere (50 meters in diameter) is supported by three vertical columns and three massive columns - "props".
The second large sphere (45 meters in diameter) is the main observation deck.
The uppermost sphere, at an altitude of 350 meters, is also an observation sphere, it is called "Space Module".
Let's go inside. On the lower levels of the tower is the Shanghai History Museum. It consists of old and modern photographs of the city.
In front of the elevator shafts - this is such a left.
The central elevator, as I understand it, leads to a large, lower sphere. I did not go up there.
The elevators to the second and third spheres are located inside one of the three main columns. Let's finally look at the views from above. The main one is, of course, on.
On the contrary, there is an equally spectacular view of the main part of Shanghai and in the foreground.
13.
Increase
In such photos, it is clear that Shanghai is a big city;))
14.
Increase
But first things first. On the left, looking towards Pudong, we see China Safe Finance Building, Bank of China Tower, Bank of Shanghai Headquarters, etc.
On the right are the towers of the International Financial Center, Super Brand Mall, Customs Center, etc.
And in the center - the World Financial Center - "opener" and the Jin Mao Tower - the tallest skyscrapers in Shanghai.
Right at the foot of the TV tower - a spectacular roundabout and a pedestrian overpass.
In the same direction - the incredible Shanghai road junctions.
If we look wider, we will see that the traffic along the Huangpu River is very busy. These are mainly barges.
We look to the right - we see one of the two twin bridges of Shanghai. This one with red supports is called Yangpu. This is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world (almost 8.5 kilometers, including overpasses extending from it).
On the left is the twin, Nanpu Bridge, with white pillars.
Far to the south, you can see the grounds of the World Expo 2010. The huge trapezoidal red pavilion of the PRC, the UFO-cake of the Exhibition Center and the world's largest membrane roof Expo Axis stand out. It’s a pity, but I didn’t have time to go there closer.
Looking at the Bund from above is a special pleasure. Before us is the pearl of the waterfront - the former headquarters of HSBC and Customs House.
Garden Bridge and the Broadway Mansions.
Monument to the People's Heroes.
Spire ICBC Building.
Crown Bund Center.
Somewhere in this area, along the Suzhou River, my hotel was located))
Slightly to the right, along the Huangpu embankment, is the 2008 Shanghai port's futuristic passenger terminal.
For the EXPO exhibition, this terminal was not enough, and by 2010, an equally extravagant second terminal was built, stuffed with the most modern ecological bells and whistles.
Let's go back to Pudong, take a closer look at everything. Here are the WFC lookouts - the top of the bottle openers.
And this is the main entrance and the square in front of the WFC. A giant fake magnet is visible.
Columns of China Safe Finance Building.
The roofs of the Mirae Asset, Aurora and Citibank buildings.
Once again, you can stare at the multi-colored roofs of five-story buildings and be stunned by the fact that everything that we see in the next frame was built in less than 15 years.
Behind the helipad of the Aurora Building, you can see the tourist tram marinas and a modern waterfront with a meandering membrane roof.
In previous posts, I did not have time to show this embankment closer, so here (click on the previews, will open in a new window \ tab).
And in the distance towers can be seen - mirror twins. One of them will be occupied by CITIC Pacific, and the other - by the local Mandarin Oriental Hotel. These buildings in 2012 are at the completion stage. The interior is finished.
In previous posts, I also did not have time to show them (click on the previews, they will open in a new window \ tab).
Finally - a couple more shots, in which the sky is not visible behind the buildings :)
And the interior of the Space Module - the uppermost sphere of the TV tower (because of the magenta-colored glasses, it is problematic to take a picture down, it is better to go down to the sphere below - there are panoramic, almost non-glare, glass and even a corridor with a glass floor encircling it).
Well, that's all about Shanghai;)
The Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the many attractions in Shanghai. Its original appearance is always eye-catching. Several observation decks of the tower will not leave you indifferent.
Where is
The Oriental Pearl Tower is located on the small Lujiazui River Peninsula in the Pudong Business District on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai.
Geographic coordinates 31.239605, 121.499854
General information
The main purpose of the Eastern Pearl Tower is a television and radio transmission tower. But besides that, it has restaurants, shops, excellent observation decks and a small hotel.
Inside the Eastern Pearl Construction began in 1991. Already on November 18, 1994, its grand opening took place. The total project cost is estimated at 830 million yuan.
Jiang Huang Chen, Lin Benlin and Zhang Xiulin worked on the design.
The Oriental Pearl is comparable in height to a 153-storey building. Its height together with the spire is 468 meters (to be absolutely precise, 467.9 meters). The height of the spire alone is 118 meters.
Sad fact - Despite all the security systems, on April 13, 2010, a fire was recorded in the tower. At 2 am the top of the spire caught fire. Perhaps this was due to a lightning strike.
The Oriental Pearl was the tallest building in all of China until 2007. Then she yielded first place to the Shanghai World Financial Center. I must say that it is only 24 meters higher (its height is 492 meters).
Design features
The tower contains 11 spheres of different sizes. Basically, two of them are noticeable: the lower one, 50 meters in diameter and the upper one, 45 meters in diameter. They are connected by three columns, each 9 meters in diameter.
There is another sphere on the spire - 14 meters in diameter.
The entire Oriental Pearl Tower is supported by three giant columns that extend deep into the ground. Each column also has a decorative sphere.
Base of the Oriental Pearl Tower The remaining 5 balls are in the space between the three columns connecting the two largest spheres. They contain 20 hotel rooms at the Space Hotel.
spheres between tower columns At night, the entire structure is illuminated by LEDs.
Evening illumination of the tower For fast travel, there are 6 elevators inside. They move at speeds up to 7 meters per second.
It is noteworthy that these elevators are two-story, and can accommodate up to 50 people at a time.
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. It is the sixth tower in the world and the second tallest tower in China.
The main levels of the tower
It is worth highlighting its most interesting levels separately.
Here you will see wax figures and scenes from Shanghai history.
This room is located on the first level of the tower.
Height 78 meters
It houses a cinema with a 240-degree ring screen. It shows Shanghai's development plans for the next 70 years.
The platform is at the bottom of the lower large sphere.
Virtual roller coaster
At a height of 95 meters, there is a virtual roller coaster hall. It is the first virtual roller coaster hall in China and the tallest one in Shanghai.
It is located at the top of the lower large sphere.
This unique soaring gallery at a height of 259 meters is the world's only transparent 360-degree observation gallery. Its circumference is 150 meters, width is 2.15 meters and height is 1.9 meters. Each square meter of the floor is capable of supporting over 2 tons.
The floor (about 4 cm thick) is also transparent here, which gives the impression of walking on the clouds.
The landing is at the bottom of the second large sphere.
Transparent floor of the observation deck It is located at a height of 263 meters. From here, there is an excellent 360-degree view of Shanghai.
Revolving restaurant
The Sky Rotating restaurant is located 267 meters above the ground. It is the largest revolving restaurant in all of Asia. It is designed for 360 seats (perhaps this number corresponds to 360 degrees of the restaurant's full turnover). Spacious spherical glass windows offer stunning views of the river and city.
The restaurant makes a full turn in 2 hours, allowing you to fully explore the city.
Here you will be offered dishes from Southeast Asia, Japanese, Chinese, European and American cuisine.
You will find the restaurant at the top of the second large sphere.
Space module
This is the highest level of the Eastern Pearl. It is located 351 meters above the ground in the third, highest sphere. It is usually called the Space Module.
There are 2 levels here: 339 meters and 351 meters, respectively.
Space module The Oriental Pearl in Tourism
The tower is accessible from 8-30 to 21-30
Paid entrance. Cost from 35 to 260 yuan, depending on the levels attended. Children below 1 meter pass free of charge. Children from 1 to 1.4 meters with a 50% discount.
You can learn more about the time and cost of the visit at the tower's official website.
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TV Tower "Oriental Pearl", located in Pudong's district, is the second tallest TV tower in Asia. It rises 468 meters above the ground and is clearly visible from different points of the city. Its central element is an imposing hemisphere with a diameter of 45 meters. In addition to the main one, there are more than a dozen more spheres for viewing with a smaller diameter, installed at different heights. Opposite the building is the famous Jin Mao skyscraper, famous for its unusual design and luxurious interior. However, the "Oriental Pearl" itself has a lot of advantages, annually receiving hundreds of thousands of townspeople and foreign tourists who want to admire the views of the metropolis from observation platforms with transparent floors, dine in a revolving restaurant or relax in local bars.
There are 6 elevators in the tower building. One of them has two platforms. 2 medium-sized lifts can accommodate up to 30 people at a time. Their speed is 7 meters per second and they are able to overcome the distance from the foot of the tower to the highest sphere in just 40 seconds. One elevator is designed to lift people between heights from 250 m to 341 meters. The highest observation deck is located at an altitude of 350 meters. It is equipped with a conference room and a coffee shop, as well as cozy armchairs, benches and sofas. In the main hemisphere, at a height of 267 meters, there is a revolving restaurant where you can admire the city's beauty and enjoy your meal at the same time.
On the first floor of the building, attention is drawn to the Shanghai History Museum, whose expositions give visitors the opportunity to learn a lot about the events of the past years that influenced the development of the modern city. Over the years, the Shanghai TV Tower has repeatedly acted as a film set for films. In particular, The Oriental Pearl has been featured in such films as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and in the American documentary series Life After People, which has become very popular in recent years.
The "Oriental Pearl" looks especially spectacular and bright in the dark, illuminated by numerous lights of different colors. The tower is a real decoration of the city and is rightfully considered one of its iconic landmarks. Here you can not only admire the beauty, but also just have a fun time, given the presence of bars, dance floors and souvenir shops selling very nice items with the image of the TV tower.
