Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai, officially known as the Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is one of the landmarks in Shanghai, occupying a prominent position in the urban landscape. The Oriental Pearl Tower is as famous as the Eiffel Tower in France, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Big Ben in Britain, the Tokyo Tower in Japan, and the N Seoul Tower in South Korea. If you want to enjoy the beautiful skyline of Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl Tower is a very good choice.
The name of the Oriental Pearl Tower comes from the Chinese Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's "Song of a Pipa Player". The poet Bai Juyi compared the sound of the pipa to the sound of pearls falling onto a jade plate. Inspired by "Pipa Style" Poems, the architects designed the Oriental Pearl Tower as 11 spheres of different sizes and heights.
The Oriental Pearl Tower was built on October 1, 1994, with a height of 467.9 meters (1,535 feet). The main body of the Oriental Pearl Tower is composed of three large spheres.
Oriental Pearl Tower | Things to do in Shanghai, China, Asia
The largest sphere, called the lower large sphere, has a height of about 90 meters (295 feet) and a diameter of 50 meters (164 feet).
The second main sphere in the middle, called the upper large sphere, has a height of about 263 meters (863 feet) and a diameter of 45 meters (148 feet).
The tallest sphere of the tower, called the Space Module, has a height of about 351 meters (1,148 feet) and a diameter of 16 meters (52 feet).
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower has different viewing platforms at different heights, providing tourists with different viewing angles. We suggest that you choose a suitable sightseeing layer based on your personal interests and weather conditions. And observe the beautiful scenery of Shanghai at different time periods.
The lower large sphere, the upper large sphere, and the Space Module of the Oriental Pearl—all three spheres—can be visited. Different levels of spheres offer different activities, including space capsules, sightseeing floors, a revolving restaurant, a science fiction city, a hotel, and more.
Suggestions for the best itinerary: First, take the sightseeing elevator and reach the sightseeing floor of the upper large sphere in 40 seconds. The most popular destination here. Then, some tourists will choose to go to the highest sphere, the Space Module. Finally, visit the lower large sphere and bottom floor of the Oriental Pearl Tower.
The 263-meter-high sightseeing floor, located in the upper sphere, is the main observation deck of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of Shanghai from 360 degrees. Standing above the city at 263 meters, feel the vitality of Shanghai.
The upper sphere also has a suspended sightseeing corridor with a height of 259 meters, which is a fully transparent sightseeing corridor. With transparent glass on your feet, you can overlook the panoramic view of the Huangpu River, giving visitors the feeling of walking in the clouds.
267 meters from the upper sphere is the highest Revolving restaurant in Asia.
The Space Module is the highest point that tourists can reach in the Oriental Pearl and is divided into two high-altitude sightseeing floors of 339 meters and 351 meters. At 351 meters, you can enjoy spectacular views of the entire downtown Shanghai from the highest point of the tower.
At 339 meters, you can take a "time machine" to connect with the capsule. You can also bring VR glasses and experience the thrill of traveling through the space world. The "Space Mission" interactive session gives you an idea of how the space station was built.
The 90-meter-high floating sightseeing corridor is located on the outside of the sightseeing tower. When the weather is clear, visitors can enjoy the bustling city scenery of Shanghai on the outdoor sightseeing floor.
The 95-meter-high VR roller coaster is the first indoor virtual reality roller coaster in China and the tallest VR in Shanghai. With the theme of flying over the high altitude of Shanghai City, it is full of high-altitude adventure, fun, and other elements.
The 78-meter-high "Future Shanghai" environmental Multimedia show shows the future urban vision of Shanghai 70 years later, through a ring screen movie. The power of science fiction and its visual impact on people are no less powerful than Hollywood blockbusters.
Located in the 0 meter hall, the Shanghai Urban History Development Exhibition Hall is a museum dedicated to the development of Shanghai in the past hundred years. There are more than 1,000 precious cultural relics and more than 100 real wax figures, with an exhibition area of 10,000 square meters.
The Oriental Pearl Tower also offers visitors many facilities for entertainment, shopping, and restaurants. Oriental Pearl Science Fiction City is located at the bottom of the tower. There are forest tours, Antarctic tours, magic tours, treasure caves, Disney theaters, joy squares, laser theaters, dynamic theaters, adventure trains, and other projects. Coca-Cola Mini Park is a theme park jointly developed by Oriental Pearl and the Coca-Cola Company.
The Oriental Pearl Tower also provides a place for tourists to buy souvenirs. Old Shanghai-style street, selling old Shanghai characteristics of cultural tourism souvenirs, Shanghai characteristics of food. Xiaomi smart home appliances, and other stores.
The Oriental Pearl Tower has restaurants for different tastes, but the best choice is the revolving restaurant. You can enjoy the panoramic view of the city while enjoying delicious food. The revolving restaurant in the upper large sphere provides more than 230 world cuisines, including Southeast Asian cuisine, Japanese cuisine, European and American cuisine, Chinese cuisine, and dozens of free cold drinks, hot drinks, and soft drinks. The restaurant has a business area of 1500 square meters and includes 360 seats. Business hours: Lunch 11:00–14:00, Dinner 17:00–21:00
Lao Shanghai No. 8 Restaurant is located at the bottom of the Oriental Pearl Tower, taking advantage of the environmental advantages of Pudong Park. The restaurant mainly serves Shanghai local cuisine as well as local flavors from all over China. The restaurant has a grand banquet hall capable of accommodating 23 tables, a multifunctional hall capable of accommodating 6 tables, and 7 private rooms with views from each household. The restaurant is surrounded by lush flowers, shaded by green trees, and surrounded by small rivers, creating a corresponding atmosphere. Business hours: Lunch 11:00–14:00, Dinner 17:00–21:00
Most of the restaurants are on the ground floor of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Tourists can shop here and taste Shanghai's special snacks, such as Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings), Shengjian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Buns), etc. In addition, there is an 18-meter Coca-Cola Happy Restaurant (globally unique), Old Shanghai Cafe, Starbucks Oriental Pearl Store, etc.
The space hotel is located 230 meters high, between the upper sphere and the lower sphere of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, occupying the whole independent sphere of the tower. The 230 Sky Hotel has 20 guest rooms, each containing two bedrooms, a living room, a SPA room, a restaurant, and a video entertainment room. Here, you can enjoy a 360-degree view and become the most unique VIP in Shanghai.
Detailed address: No. 1, Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
Opening hours: 9:00–21:00; last admission is one hour before closing.
How to get there: Take metro line 2 or line 14, and get off at Lujiazui subway station.
Ticket and price information: When climbing the tower, you can buy two-ball combined tickets or three-ball combined tickets. Revolving Restaurant Buffet, Revolving Restaurant Afternoon Tea, and Happy Restaurant Buffet can be purchased together with tickets.
Huangpu River Cruise Tour: There is an international cruise wharf under the Oriental Pearl Tower, which can be purchased together with the ticket. The "Zhonghua" cruise ship is the latest luxury sightseeing cruise ship of the Oriental Pearl. Buffets and drinks are also available.
The best time to travel: all seasons are suitable
External weather factors: Haze, rain, and other weather will affect the outside world's vision, so you should pay attention to choosing sunny days when visiting.
Tourist luggage storage: In the ticket hall of Oriental Pearl, there is a storage point of more than 20 square meters that can store ordinary luggage for free. There are also many paid luggage storage points near the Oriental Pearl Tower.
Best place to see: The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower is the best place to see the Bund architectural complex. Especially the Oriental Pearl Tower at night; it is extremely beautiful under the light.
Note: There are many tourists in Oriental Pearl Tower, especially on holidays, you need to line up. It is recommended to go in the morning so you can have more time to explore and play.
Located on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, Lujiazui is home to the Greater China and East Asia headquarters of many multinational banks. The source of Lujiazui's place name: It is said that this beach is the former residence and burial place of Lu Shen, a great writer, calligrapher, and bachelor of the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty.
The Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone gathers the tallest buildings in Shanghai. Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the earliest among Lujiazui high-rise buildings. In addition, Shanghai Tower was developed by Shanghai Municipal Investment Group, Shanghai World Financial Center was developed by Japan Mori Building Co., Ltd., and Jin Mao Tower was developed by Jinmao Group.
Shanghai Tower, at 632 meters (2,073 feet), is the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world. Buildings taller than it, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, 828 meters (2,717 feet), and Merdeka 118 in Malaysia, 678.9 meters (2,227 feet). Shanghai Tower, as a comprehensive super high-rise building, the "Top of Shanghai Observatory" (height of 546 meters) provides tourists with a 360 degree panoramic view of the sightseeing hall.
Shanghai World Finance, 94th to 100th floors, is the sightseeing hall. The tour can start from the 94th floor (at 423 meters), go to the 97th floor (at 439 meters) through the escalator, walk over the sightseeing bridge, and take the elevator to the 100th floor (at 474 meters). It can also directly reach 100 floors, and the elevator speed is very fast; it can reach the top level in about one minute.
Jinmao Tower, with a height of 420.5 meters (1379.6 feet). Jinmao Tower, 88th floor sightseeing hall, 340 meters high, takes 45 seconds by elevator to reach. Visitors can fasten their seat belts and walk out of the 88th-floor sightseeing hall on the 340-meter-high outdoor walkway.
There are some other attractions near the Oriental Pearl Tower, such as the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, the Museum of Art Pudong, the Shanghai International Convention Center, and so on. The Bund, on the other side of the Huangpu River, can be reached through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.
