Anyone arriving in Shanghai at night from the airport for the first time is immediately taken with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower as it monopolizes an already amazing emerging skyline. It soars over the Huangpu river from the Pudong area and one might imagine it as an incredible space ship landing.  Dramatic lighting effects highlight this unusual structure.

The tower is referred to by the Chinese as "two dragons playing with a pearl".  In 1995 it began broadcasting nine television channels and 10 FM radio channels.  It is 1,245 feet high, and is one of the tallest structures in Asia.  The viewing area is half-way up and offers a splendid unparalleled view of the Bund, the emerging new modern Shanghai, and the most recently developed Special Economic Zone of Pudong.  A cafe is located on the first floor and on the viewing platform there is a souvenir shop.  Admission fees are charged.

At the base of the tower is Pudong Park which was designed as a contrast to the massive commercial development of the Special Economic Zone of Pudong.  There are wonderful views across the river from the "New Bund" to the original.