Shanghai Tower

Shanghai Tower

 Chinese name: 上海中心大厦 (shàng hǎi zhōng xīn dà shà)
 Location: 501 Middle Yincheng Rd, Pudong New Area
 Height: 632 m (2,073 ft)
 Floors: 127 floors above and 5 floors below ground

Shanghai Tower is in Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone of Pudong, with Shanghai World Financial Center to the east and Jin Mao Tower to the north. The tower ranks as China's tallest building and second only to the world at large. The foot print takes up 30,368 square meters (about 326,878 square feet) with floor space of about 576,000 square meters (about 6,200,012 square feet), with 5 basement levels, 127 floors above ground and 5 podium floors.
 

 Location: 118th Floor
 Height: 546 meters (1,791 ft)

For tourists, a Shanghai Tower visit would not be completed unless including a climb to the 'Top of Shanghai Observatory', which is the world's highest indoor observation deck. From this height, one can enjoy a unique panoramic view of the Huangpu River, the Bund on the west, and several other skyscrapers like the Jin Mao Tower and the World Financial Center on the east bank. Tourists are recommended to visit the exhibition hall on floor B1 first, and then take the express elevator to the 118th floor directly within only 55 seconds. At last, see the exhibition of 'Shanghai Eye' on the 125th and 126th floors if time permits.
 

Because Shanghai is on a inactive seismic belt and the construction site is in a river basin, a firm foundation for this skyscraper is very important. To firm up the ground, engineers first put 980 foundation piles underground to a depth of 86 meters (282 feet), and then poured 61,000 cube meters (2.15 million cube feet) of concrete to set a 6-meter-thick (20-foot-thick) baseboard for anchoring the main building.

The exterior of the building spirals upward like a snake. It twists about one degree per floor to offset the wind effect on higher altitude. This is very important to a super tall building in Shanghai to withstand frequent typhoons.
 

Skyscrapers Cluster in Pudong

The tower sports two glass facades, an inner one and an outer one, like overlapping "tubes". The space between the two "tubes" varies from 1 to 10 meters (3 to 33 feet) wide, providing more public space inside the building. At the mean time, the space functions as a heat insulation layer like in a thermos flask. This is environment-friendly and costing less.
 

The building is serviced by 149 elevators, of which 108 are lifts. Three of the lifts can send passengers up to the 546 meters (1,791 ft) high sightseeing deck from street level within one minute, which is a world record holder.
 

As a complex super tall building, the Tower is subdivided into five main functional areas: 24-hour offices for multinational companies and financial services; super five-star hotels and support facilities, offering personalized service and amenities; high end retail shops etc; recreation zone, forming a new business and cultural center in the city, a clear departure from ghost town image of Lujiazui after working hours; conference facilities, including sightseeing rooms in upper floors, and a multifunction conference center measuring over 2,000 square meters (about 21,528 square feet) and a multifunction banquet hall measuring more than 1,000 square meters (about 10,764 square feet) in podium building.
 

Pudong New Area

By Metro:
Take Metro Line 2 and get off at Lujiazui Station. Get out from Exit 6 and walk 500 meters (550 yards) south.

By Bus:
1. Take City Sightseeing Bus Line 2 and get off at Jin Mao Tower.
2. Take bus 583, 799, 939, or Lujiazui Financial City Line 2 and get off at Huayuan Shiqiaolu Dongtailu Station.
3. Take bus 791, 870, 961, 985 or Lujiazui Financial City Loop Line to Lujiazui Huanlu Dongtailu Station and then walk there.

By Ferry:
Take ferry Dongjin Line or Dongfu Line and get off at Dongchang Road, then walk to the skyscraper.
Shanghai Bus / Metro Search

Shanghai Tower Price for the Observation Deck	Adult: CNY 180 Children between 1 and 1.4 meters (3.3 and 4.6 feet): CNY 90 Free for children under 1 meter.
Opening Hours	8:30 - 22:00; ticket sale stops at 21:30

Skyscrapers in Pudong New Area

 As the tallest and second tallest skyscrapers in China, either Shanghai Tower or the World Financial Center is a good option to take in amazing city views with symbolic landmarks including the neighboring Jin Mao Tower and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. For a thrill, Shanghai Tower ranks as China's tallest building and it has the world’s fastest elevator.


Nearby Attractions:
 Oriental Pearl Tower
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
Natural Wild Insect Kingdom

 Read more:
 10 Cool Things to Do in Shanghai for Youngsters
 6 Shanghai Tourists Places in February
 8 Unique Things to Do in Shanghai Only
 Best Shanghai Observation Decks on 4 Super Skyscrapers