Oriental Pearl Tower

Look up. Far above you, two great spheres glow against the sky. They sit on tall slanted columns, like beads threaded on a frame. At night they shine pink and purple over the river. By day they catch the sun in pale gray and rose. This is the Oriental Pearl Tower. For many travelers, it is the first shape they learn in Shanghai.

The tower stands in Lujiazui, on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. It rises 468 meters into the air. Its three columns are painted a soft silver gray. When it opened, it was the tallest structure in the whole city. It held that title for more than ten years. Taller towers have since grown up around it. Yet its rounded shape still draws the eye first.

Builders raised the tower between 1991 and 1994. The work finished on the first day of October. The design carries a simple, old idea. Long ago, a Chinese poem described pearls falling onto a jade plate. The architects gave that image a form in steel. The spheres became the pearls, and the river became the plate. The poet wrote of large and small pearls together.

Count the spheres as you look up. There are eleven in all, large and small. Two of them stand out from the rest. The lower sphere is the widest, about fifty meters across. The upper sphere sits much higher on the columns. Smaller spheres run along the legs between them. Each one holds rooms, decks, or machines inside.

Look down at the base of the tower. Three huge columns rise from the ground. Each one is wider than a house. They lean inward as they climb, then carry the spheres above. The whole frame was built to stand against strong river winds. It has held firm through storms for decades. Red lights blink at the very top for aircraft.

Step inside, and an elevator carries you upward fast. Your ears may pop as you rise. The first stop is the lower sphere, high above the street. Windows wrap all the way around. From here, the city spreads out in every direction. On a clear day you can see for many kilometers. The river bends below like a wide gray ribbon.

Higher up waits a deck with a floor of glass. Step onto it if your nerves allow. Below your feet, the ground falls away for hundreds of meters. Cars look like slow beetles on the roads. People shrink to tiny moving dots. Hold the rail if you feel unsteady. It is a strange feeling, to stand on the open air.

The tower is more than a viewpoint. Its spheres and wide base hold many spaces inside. Near the bottom, an exhibition tells the story of old Shanghai. One restaurant high above turns slowly as you dine. Other levels hold shops, halls, and quiet corners. Each one offers a different way to spend an hour.

Look across the water toward the old Bund. From up here, the contrast is clear. On that side, low stone buildings from a century ago. On this side, glass towers reaching for the clouds. The Oriental Pearl rose first among them, in 1994. It marked the start of Pudong's great climb. Many visitors photograph both shores from this height.

Around the tower spreads the Lujiazui district. Banks, malls, and offices fill the streets. A raised circular walkway loops above the traffic. From it you can stroll between the towers in safety. Fountains and gardens soften the hard glass and stone. It is easy to spend a whole day in this corner.

The colors come alive after sunset. Lights run up and down the columns. The spheres turn from white to pink to deep blue. On holidays, the whole tower shifts in slow patterns. Boats on the river carry watchers below. From the far bank, cameras point this way by the thousand. The display draws crowds to the waterfront each night.

To visit, you buy a ticket at the base. Different tickets reach different decks. The glass floor is usually part of the higher pass. Lines can grow long on weekends and holidays. Morning visits tend to be calmer and clearer. A bright, dry day gives the widest view.

Come back down to the street when you are done. Stand at the base and look up one last time. The spheres seem to float, far above your head. They have watched the city grow around them for decades. Once the tallest, now ringed by giants. Still, the pearls hold their place against the sky.