Journeys›Photograph

Haze Around the Oriental Pearl Tower in Pudong

·Pudong, China·#winter#travel#architecture#china#shanghai
Tall glass skyscrapers and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower dominate a city skyline under a cloudy sky.

Walked Lujiazui this morning with the Oriental Pearl Tower as the target, starting under the Jin Mao Tower and following the elevated footbridge over toward the riverfront. The haze never lifted — the tower's spire kept dissolving into it from a distance, then sharpening as I got closer, pink spheres against a sky the color of dishwater.

The thing is odd up close in a way it isn't on postcards. 468 meters, eleven spheres of different sizes, supposedly pearls dropping onto a jade plate. Finished in 1994, tallest structure in China for a while. Fifteen observation levels, the famous one at 259 meters, plus a Shanghai History Museum tucked into the base. The signs out front were also pushing a VR roller coaster at 95 meters, which I did not investigate.

Stayed at ground level and circled the plaza instead. Banners everywhere announced the finals of a national plaza-dancing TV competition happening today at the convention center — December 16, 2018, my exact day here by coincidence. A big Chinese flag snapped over the steps while tour groups filed in below it.

A smiling person in a red fleece jacket and cap takes a selfie with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and city skyline in the background.A smiling man in a hat and red jacket takes a selfie with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and city buildings in the background.The Oriental Pearl TV Tower stands centrally in Shanghai's skyline, flanked by modern skyscrapers under a hazy sky.The Oriental Pearl TV Tower stands prominently on the left, with modern skyscrapers, trees, and a street in the foreground.A smiling person in a cap and red fleece takes a selfie in front of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and a modern building.The Oriental Pearl TV Tower overlooks a plaza with pink digital screens, a Chinese flag, and many people on stairs.The Oriental Pearl Tower stands behind multiple blue display boards and a waving Chinese flag, with many people on stairs.The Oriental Pearl TV Tower looms behind a waving Chinese flag, three digital billboards, and people on steps.

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