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Top architectural sightseeing and landmarks of Shanghai - ideas on city exploration routes


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What are the most important landmarks to see first and foremost in Shanghai? Without a doubt, the original architecture of the city deserves the highest attention. Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai Grand Theatre and many others – are the architectural landmarks that attract millions of tourists every year. Let’s visit Shanghai right now by making a virtual tour using our fantastic 3D flight simulator! Just start the video on this page and make a flight over the main sites of Shanghai, which are presented in a three-dimensional format. Besides that, our review includes interesting facts and colorful photos of every monument.

Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Oriental Pearl Tower is the TV tower in Shanghai built in 1994.
» The height of this TV tower is 468 meters. This is the third highest in Asia and the fifth highest tower in the world.
» The tower consists of 11 spheres of different sizes. Two largest spheres are 50 m and 45 m in diameter, the diameter of the smallest and the highest spheres is 14 meters.
» Two of the large spheres are linked by three columns, each of which is 9m in diameter.
» The TV tower has a revolving restaurant at a height 267 meters, there is a dance floor, bar and 20 rooms with karaoke at an altitude of 271 meters; the penthouse with an observation platform, a conference room and a coffee shop are situated at an altitude of 350 meters.
» The tower has amazing illumination at night.

Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Shanghai Exhibition Center was built in the 1950s by Soviet constructors. The area occupied by the construction is around 80,000 sq. M.
»  This was a gift of the Soviet government to China. The first exhibition of Soviet achievements held in this center was made in 1955.
»  The exhibition center is very similar to the main building of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements in Moscow, and the central tower with a spire is similar to the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg.
»  The Shanghai center was decorated by Chinese sculptors and artists. As a symbol of Soviet-Chinese friendship, visitors were greeted by a sculpture of a Chinese and Soviet workers with hammers.
»  But during the cooling of relations between the governments, the original sculpture was replaced.
»  The original name of the building was the House of Soviet-Chinese Friendship, while the present name appeared in 1984. The last restoration of the building dates to 2002.
»  In Shanghai, 17 new modern exhibition centers have appeared during this time, but this is still the main place for international conferences.

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Shanghai Tower is the ultra-high building, which when completed could be the tallest building in the Pudong district, ahead of the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center.
» According to the draft the building, the height will be 632 meters. It’s assumed that the Shanghai Tower will be the tallest building in China and the third largest free-standing structure, second only to the Tokyo Sky Tree (height 634 m) and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (height 828 m).
» After completion the tower won’t enjoy leading positions among Chinese constructions for a long time. In 2015, the Shanghai Tower will give way to the International Finance Centre in Shenzhen (exp. the first in China and the third in the world) that is currently under construction.
» The skyscraper will house offices, shops, a five-star hotel, exhibition and conference facilities, as well as areas for recreation and entertainment.
» When building of a skyscraper would be completed, the Shanghai Tower will connect the Jin Mao Tower and SWFC, thus forming the world's first contiguous group of three super-high buildings.
» Four Season Hotel, located between 84-th and 110-th floors, will be the highest hotel in the world.

Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The construction of the Shanghai World Financial Center ended in 2008. The building rose to a height of 492 meters and, at that time, it was the third highest in the world.
»  The constructors wanted to increase the height of the building by installing a spire to be higher than the tower of Taipei (509, 2m). But architects William Pedersen and developer Minoru Mori convinced everyone to leave the project as is.
»  The cost of the project was estimated at $ 1 billion. There are 41 lifts and 33 escalators in the tower.
»  The key feature of the skyscraper is that it has a high seismic protection and can withstand an earthquake of 7 points.
»  There are 3 options for saving people’s lives: external elevators on the sides of the tower, internal protected staircases, every twelfth floor has its own reinforced, protected concrete frame.
»  The highest observation deck is on the 100th floor at an altitude of 474 m. The high-speed elevator will deliver you there in just one minute.
»  A distinctive feature of the skyscraper is the characteristic trapezoidal hole at the top.

Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai

Location on the map:   Facts:
» This large Shanghai Theater was designed and built under the guidance of the French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier.
» The theater's building is modern, with a well-equipped stage, the largest in the world.
»  The huge 10-storey building has three stages, a large hall for 1800 seats, and two smaller ones – for 600 and 300 seats. # The main stage is equipped with the left and right additional scenes.
»  Besides, there is a banquet hall and an underground two-storey parking in the theater.
»  A beautiful, elegant lobby occupies an area of 2000 sq.m. The floor in the lobby is covered by a rare white marble, which is called "Greek".
»  The theater has been visited by more than 10 million viewers during this time. Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti performed on the big stage. Other legends are - Royal Ballet, the ballet of the Paris National opera, the American Ballet Theater and others.
»  The most stunning is the look of the Shanghai Theater at night - sparkling, radiant, like a crystal vessel.

Yangpu Bridge, Shanghai

Location on the map:
Facts: » The Yangpu Bridge connects the banks of the Huangpujiang River. It was built in two and a half years.
»  Its total length is 7658m. The length of the central span is 602 m.
»  During its construction, it was the longest span not only in China, but also in the world.
»  The towers as high as 210 m remind an inverted letter Y.
»  An interesting landmark exists on one of the pillars: the inscription of the name of the bridge, made by Deng Xiaoping.
»  The bridge has a six-lane roadway and two footpaths 2 m wide.
»  Tourists and locals can enjoy the cityscapes and city views from here. A view over whole Shanghai is provided from the panoramic elevator.
»  Capacity of the construction - 100,000 cars a day. The bridge became a symbolic place of Shanghai.
CONTINUE - PART II »»
Shanghai - guide chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Build your walking routes in Shanghai on the landmark map

More to see in Shanghai
The number of fascinating attractions to explore is huge. So, Shanghai is one of the sure leaders of our planet. In the centre of the city there is People's Square - a starting point for many excursions. The major government agencies and cultural centers are concentrated next to the largest public square. It should be noticed that "square", an amazingly beautiful place, can be called only conditionally. Instead of the classic paved area, you can see the gorgeous park with plenty of interesting landscape decorations. Near the square there is one of the most visited cultural centers of the city – Shanghai Museum. The building of it is an unusual architectural monument, it resembles a huge box. It was built in 1952. There was a racetrack long ago. Currently, the architectural complex was converted into a modern cultural centre. To accommodate a priceless exposition the Museum has 11 galleries. A separate gallery is reserved for the storage of ancient sculptures. The collection of ceramics and products of their beautiful blue porcelain are incredibly popular. One of the most unusual attractions is the Yuyuan Garden. It impresses with the variety of lovely plants and architectural attractions. It is situated not far from the colorful market. An amazing garden was founded in the 17th century, its territory gradually expanded. Then a lot of small markets and shops appeared. Today it is a major shopping district and a popular tourist destination. Here is the wonderful temple … Read further

Architectural landmarks in the regions around Shanghai

Beijing
The Forbidden City today is called the Former Palace; that's the main palace complex of the Chinese emperors. Only the emperor and his court had the right to be there, and for the rest this part of Beijing was closed. The palace was separated from the city by ditches and red walls. The Forbidden City is the largest palace complex. It's considered one of the five most important palaces in the world. The Palace Museum is a veritable storehouse ... Open »
Hong Kong
It’s a modern memorial built in 1993 in the form of a large seated statue of Buddha that is 34 metres high and weighs 250 tons. To get to the statue, you need to climb 268 steps. There’s a temple inside. The first floor decorated with paintings of the Buddha’s earthly life houses the Hall of Benevolent Merit. The second floor has a wooden panel depicting 160 pairs of eyes conveying different human emotions. The third floor houses the Hall ... Open »
Osaka
The curved flooring above the moat leads to the white castle on the high hell. Originally, it was built as a military post. The road winds among multiple defense towers that were built by different owners. You can see the names of warlords on the arms in the castle walls and roof. The hedged buildings with branches give an impression that the main building of the castle moves away. Himeji Castle (1333) is a five-level building. There are rooms ... Open »
Kyoto
The Kyoto National Museum is a red brick building. Its total area is 50 thousand m2. The new building built in 1966 houses permanent collections including pieces of Asian arts. 12 000 exhibits are placed into three sectors. 230 exhibits are national Japanese treasures. The collection includes exhibits that have been kept in temples, royal palaces, and personal houses before. There are 200 000 photos. The showroom is divided into three ... Open »
Tokyo
The height of Tokyo Tower is 332.6 meters, which at the time makes it the highest steel structure in the world. The Tokyo Tower is in the list of 29 highest object of the World Federation of Great Towers ranked 14th of them. Today the tower is rather a tourist attraction; it’s considered one of the symbols of Tokyo. TV Tower houses an observation deck, halls and museums. Beneath the tower there is the 4-story building that is occupied by ... Open »
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