Oriental Pearl TV Tower

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudong Park Shanghai. This 468 meters high (1,536 feet) tower is the world's third tallest TV and radio tower surpassed in height only by towers in Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia. Surrounding the eleven steel spheres that are 'strung' vertically through the center of the tower are three nine-meter wide columns. There are three large spheres including the top sphere, known as the space module. Then there are five smaller spheres and three decorative spheres on the tower base. The entire structure rests on rich green grassland and gives the appearance of pearls shining on a jade plate.
Visitors travel up and down the tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people at the rate of seven meters per second. The elevator attendants recite an introduction to the TV Tower in English and Chinese during the rapid quarter-mile ascent. The top of the tower and its various spheres and columns actually house places of commerce and recreation. The large lower sphere has a sightseeing hall with a 360 degree view where most of Shanghai’s downtown can be seen as far as the Yangtze River. The five smaller spheres are a hotel that contains elegant suites and lounges. The pearl at the very top of the tower contains shops, a rotating restaurant, and a sightseeing floor. When viewed from the Bund at night, the tower's three-dimensional lighting shimmers with brilliant color.