Shanghai is a city of superlatives. With 24 million inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the world. Located in the middle of the East China coast, is Shanghai a transport and shipping hub and also a financial centre.
At the same time it is a city with many sides and a mix of western and eastern culture.
The Bund
The Bund or in Chinese Waitan is a waterfront on the Huangpu River in the center of Shanghai. The Bund is 1,6 km long and faces the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui on the other side of the river.
The Oriental Pearl Tower is a TV tower in the Pudong New Area. With its unusual design it is one of the eye-catchers of the Skyline of Pudong.
Completed in 1994, the 468-meter tower is still one of the tallest towers in the world and one of the tallest buildings in the Chinese city.
The Oriental Pearl Tower has fifteen observatory levels, with the highest at 350 meters.
Touching the Sky
Shanghai has seen a big growth in tall buildings. From 2004 to 2011, the number of buildings with more than 11 floors almost tripled.
With 126 floors and a height of 626 meters, the Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in the city and in China. In the worldwide ranking, the Shanghai Tower ranks second, behind the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The skyscraper houses the highest observation deck within a building (561,25 m) and the fastest elevator. The Mitsubishi-designed elevators runs a top speed of 20,5 metres per second. The building with a twist of 90° is mostly used for offices and is owned by the Shanghai city government.
The Shanghai World Financial Center has a height of 492 meters and is the tallest building in the world with a hole. The building won an architect award for the best skyscraper, in the year of completion.
The Jin Mao Tower is the oldest of the three. The building, which literally translates to “The Golden Prosperity Building, was completed 1999 and has a height of 420 meters.
