Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai — Part 1

Oriental Pearl Tower

Our first full day in Shanghai was a rather busy one.  Our fearless China Spree leader Mao “Jim” Chen accompanied us the day before on our flight from Beijing, so we didn’t have to break in a new guide . . . or more accurately our guide was already well versed in how to herd us all around without losing anyone.  First stop — The Oriental Pearl Tower.

A comparison of the world’s tallest television towers — Oriental Pearl fifth from the left

As we waited in line for the elevator I was taken by the curtain-like display of lanterns hanging from the ceiling:

Lanterns inside the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower

At 1,535 feet/468 meters — the third tallest building in Shanghai — The Oriental Pearl Tower is unmistakable against the skyline of Shanghai’s Pudong “New Area” District.  So, what’s the tallest, you ask?  This is, the tallest building in China and the second tallest on the entire planet — the incredible Shanghai Tower at 2,072 feet/632 meters:

Shanghai Tower — World’s 2nd tallest building

The Shanghai Tower is actually a skyscraper within a skyscraper.  The inner structure houses apartments and offices while the outer glass structure enclosing it will be home to nine layers of atria containing gardens, parks, and even restaurants.  Here’s a closeup showing both the inner and outer structures:

Shanghai Tower glass enclosure

But tall buildings are not the only view from the Oriental Pearl Tower.  High above Shanghai you’ll see the famous Bund area and the Huangpu River — a tributary of the Yangtze River — that separates the Bund from Pudong.

Huangpo River and the Bund area

The Oriental Pearl is even more stunning at night as the LED lighting constantly changes the color of the tower.

Oriental Pearl Tower at night

I’ll have more on the views here on Wednesday.  Meanwhile, enjoy today’s slideshow.  Don’t forget to click on any image below to bring it up:

The view from the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower