Oriental Pearl Tower, Observation tower in Lujiazui district, Shanghai, China.
Oriental Pearl Tower is a 468-meter observation tower in Lujiazui district, Shanghai, with three main spherical levels connected by steel columns. Multiple viewing platforms spread across different heights of the structure, which combines steel and concrete in its construction.
Construction finished in 1995 during a period of deep transformation in Shanghai, when the city was reshaping its skyline. The tower took on the role of a central broadcasting facility for television and radio programs across the growing metropolis.
The architectural design references a classical Chinese poem about pearls dropping onto jade plates, incorporating traditional elements into modern architecture.
Visitors reach three observation levels by elevator, including the Space Module at 350 meters height. A rotating restaurant sits at 267 meters and offers views of the city during meals.
Fifteen elevators move visitors through the construction, allowing a high degree of movement for a building of this height. A museum at the base level displays historical documents and objects that trace centuries of urban development.
Location: Shanghai
Inception: 1998
Architects: East China Architectural Design & Research Institute
Floors above the ground: 153
Elevators: 6
Elevation above the sea: 29 m
Height: 468 m
Made from material: steel, concrete
GPS coordinates: 31.24167,121.49472
Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:01
Shanghai brings together the past and the present in a single city. The Bund lines up colonial facades from the 1920s and 1930s directly across from the Lujiazui skyline, where glass towers rise on the opposite bank of the river. In the narrow lanes of the French Concession, old plane trees shade...
Shanghai blends centuries of history into a cityscape that shifts from one district to the next. Along the Huangpu River, the Bund lines up colonial buildings from the early 20th century, while across the water in Pudong, glass and steel towers rise hundreds of feet into the air. In older...
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