Oriental Pearl TV Tower

Overview
 

Location
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, Shanghai. The tower, surrounded by the Yangpu Bridge in the northeast and the Nanpu Bridge in the southwest, creates a picture of ’twin dragons playing with pearls’. The entire scene is a photographic jewel that excites the imagination and attracts thousands of visitors year-round.

Introduction
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower has become one of the modern symbols of Shanghai. The 468 meter tall tower is the tallest in Asia and the third tallest TV tower in the world. The bird’s eye view from its observation platform is breathtaking, especially at night, when the nearby Bund is lit up.

With a unique design composed of balls and columns, the tower has become Shanghai’s newest landmark and a big magnet for tourists. The designers magically set the eleven beautiful spheres of various sizes up from the green grassland to the blue sky with two giant spheres shining like two rubies. The whole design is rich in poetic and pictorial splendor, which gives the tourist the impression that pearls of various sizes are dropping onto the emerald plate.

The tower has several viewing areas. The top sphere called The Space Module is situated 350 meters above the ground and offers the best views of Shanghai, but closer sites like the Bund are not as visible from that height. The second sphere is located at 259 to 267 meters above the ground has three levels. The top one is a revolving restaurant. The lower two levels are viewing platforms with little shops and bathrooms inside. The lower level has no windows and is not as crowded as the air conditioned middle level. The lower sphere is located 90 meters above the ground. It features a sightseeing platform and roller coaster inside of it.

The Oriental Pearl Tower consists of three big columns, which are 9 meters in diameter, the space module, the upper sphere, the lower sphere, five small spheres, tower base and the square. In the tower, there is a double-decker elevator, which can hold fifty people at a time, and a two-speed elevator that can run at a speed of 7 meters per second. The tower is equipped with three-dimensional lighting installation, which makes the whole tower very colorful and beautiful.

Visitors travel up and down the tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people at the rate of seven meters per second. The elevator attendants recite an introduction to the TV Tower in English and Chinese during the rapid 1/4-mile ascent. Once you reach your destination, you will be amazed at the variety of activities available as the various spheres and columns actually house places of interest, commerce, and recreation. The inner tower is a recreational palace, while the Shanghai Municipal History Museum is located in the tower’s pedestal. The large lower sphere has a futuristic space city and a fabulous sightseeing hall. From here, on a clear day a visitor can see all the way to the Yangtze River. The base of the tower is home to a science fantasy city. The five smaller spheres are a hotel that contains twenty-five elegant rooms and lounges. The pearl at the very top of the tower contains shops, restaurants, (including a rotating restaurant) and a sightseeing floor. The view of Shanghai from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you. When viewed from the Bund at night, the tower’s three-dimensional lighting makes it a delight of brilliant color.

Features
A picture of "twin dragons playing with pearls" One of the modern symbols of Shanghai The tallest in Asia and the third tallest TV tower in the world