The Oriental Pearl TV tower located in Pudong Park in Shanghai is one of the city’s most recognized landmarks. The tower is utilized as a television transmission station and has been officially declared as the tallest tower in Asia and the third tallest tower in the world.

The design of the tower incorporates eleven spheres into its architecture the two largest have a diameter of at least 50 meters, this peculiar architectural design is perhaps what makes it so recognizable. The three spheres are linked by three columns each column has a diameter of nine meters. The building which was designed using traditional Chinese architectural norms and modern construction techniques is meant to symbolize the “Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls.”

Known to be one of Shanghai’s premier tourist attractions the Oriental Pearl attracts over three million visitors annually. The major difference between this tower and many others all over the world is the variety of activity that visitors are exposed to. The 469 meter high tower encompasses fifteen different observation levels and the highest known as the Space Module stands at height of 350 meters. Visitors are taken up the tower in a “Double Decker” elevator that can hold up to fifty people, the tour guides give a brief but descriptive account of the tower’s history, architecture and purpose while ascending.

Various places of interest are housed in the different observation levels and towers, for example the inner tower is pre dominantly dedicated to recreation and features a number of entertainment options. The Shanghai Municipal History Museum is located at the pedestal of the tower and houses some interesting artifacts on the history of the city.

The large second sphere is home to the futuristic Oriental Space Fantasy which is a space city that has an excellent observation area. The first large sphere or the Space Module is home to the best observation deck and also features a conference hall and a coffee shop. A revolving restaurant that revolves on once each hour, a disco hall and a piano bar can also be found here. A large Emporium Superstore that has 18,000 square feet of shopping space and other entertainment attractions such as the three dimensional theatre and the hot balloon can also be enjoyed.

Located close to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower are serviced apartments in Shanghai known as Ascott Shanghai Pudong which caters to long stay business travelers.