Highlights
The Oriental Pearl has three must-see highlights. First, the main observation deck in the upper sphere, at 263 meters, offers the widest view — you can walk all the way around and see the whole Shanghai skyline. I recommend coming in the late afternoon: first enjoy the daytime view, then the sunset, and finally the night view — you get all three in one visit. Second, the fully transparent overhanging observation gallery at 259 meters. The floor is made of glass, and when you look down, the cars on the ground look like ants. It's thrilling, and perfect for those who love a challenge. Third, the Shanghai Urban History Development Exhibition Hall at the base of the tower. It uses wax figures and miniature models to recreate scenes of old Shanghai life, like alleyways, teahouses, and rickshaws. After visiting, you'll have a vivid sense of how much Shanghai has changed over a century. Each of these three spots has its own character, so I suggest visiting them in order: go up the tower first, then come down to the exhibition hall, so you don't have to backtrack.
Stories
There's a widely told story about the Oriental Pearl. When the design team first got the assignment, they couldn't find inspiration. Then one designer heard Bai Juyi's "Song of the Pipa," and when the line "large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate" came up, it suddenly hit him: why not make the tower out of several spheres? And that's how it got its current look. There's another small story: during construction, to ensure the spheres' surfaces were perfectly smooth, workers had to install the glass curtain wall panel by panel. It's said that just tuning the reflective effect of the spheres took several months. Also, the tower's "Space Capsule" was originally part of the television transmission antenna, and was later converted into an observation hall, which is why visitors can go up to the highest point. These little details give the Oriental Pearl a warmer, more human touch.
History
The story of the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower begins in the early 1990s. At that time, Pudong was being developed and opened up, and Shanghai needed a tall tower that could transmit television signals and also become a new landmark. Construction began in 1991, was completed in 1994, and the tower officially opened on May 1, 1995. At 468 meters, it was the tallest tower in Asia and the third tallest in the world. It replaced the Shanghai TV station transmission tower on The Bund and became the city's new radio and television signal center. As the Lujiazui financial district rose, skyscrapers like Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai Tower were built around the Oriental Pearl, but it remains Shanghai's most iconic symbol. In 2005, the fully transparent overhanging observation gallery was added, and in 2013, the lighting system was upgraded. Today, it is both a radio and television tower and a comprehensive attraction that combines sightseeing, dining, shopping, and exhibitions.
Architecture
The architectural design of the Oriental Pearl is truly unique. Instead of a traditional single-tower shape, it uses three concrete columns, each nine meters in diameter, to support eleven spheres. The two lowest spheres are the lower sphere and the upper sphere, with a smaller sphere in between, and the "Space Capsule" at the very top. The three columns are arranged in a triangle, which makes the tower both stable and beautiful. The design was inspired by the phrase "big and small pearls falling onto a jade plate," giving the tower a soft, graceful curve. The spheres are covered with glass and metal, so they reflect sunlight during the day, and at night, with the lights on, they glow like luminous pearls. The tower's circulation path was also carefully planned: visitors enter at the base, take a high-speed elevator up to the upper sphere, then switch to another elevator to reach the Space Capsule, and finally walk or take an elevator down to the overhanging observation gallery. The whole structure not only meets the technical needs of radio and television broadcasting, but also creates a unique sightseeing experience. It is one of the representative works of Chinese architectural design from the 1990s.
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