The Shanghai Pearl of the Orient TV Tower is one of the tallest buildings in Asia. It is 468 metres high and has an approximate weight of 120,000 tonnes. In the heart of the business district, on the banks of the Huangpu River, which divides the city into old and new, and is located Shanghai TV Tower.
"Pearl of the Orient" was built in just four years. The basic technological idea is reinforced concrete cylinders with a diameter of 9 metres. Steel balls of different diameters are at different heights and harmoniously fit into the structure of the TV tower. Eleven spheres imply the pearls.
On each of the three largest spheres there are observation platforms. The maximum height at which there is a platform is 360 metres. Only three of the six lifts in the building go up there. One lift carries approximately 30 people. The only double-deck lift in the country can accommodate up to 50 people.
On the ground floor of the Pearl of the Orient is the city museum, which tells the history of Shanghai from antiquity to the present day. One of the spheres, at a height of 267 metres, houses a rotating restaurant of the same name as the tower. It makes one revolution around its axis in an hour.
From the observation platforms of the TV tower you can admire the mesmerising view of Shanghai and the Yangtze River, which can be seen only in cloudless weather. In the evening, the view of the extraordinary city is even more beautiful.
Next to the grounds are galleries with many small tourist shops. Three spheres house the shops and galleries. The lower sphere houses the "Space City" where you can find yourself in a science fiction world. The middle part of the TV tower houses a hotel and meeting rooms. Every year, 2.8 million tourists visit the Pearl of the Orient.
The main task of the Shanghai TV Tower remains television and radio broadcasting. In a fairly short period of time, the "Pearl of the Orient" has become a symbol of the city. The TV Tower can be called a tourist complex, as there is an opportunity to visit exhibitions, museum, to see the breathtaking panorama of Shanghai, to have a delicious meal in an unusual restaurant and to appreciate the architectural masterpiece with one's own eyes.
