Shanghai at Night: The Pudong Skyline

I visited Shanghai for a few days in September 2018. My first proper look at the city was this view from high up, looking out across the Huangpu River to the Pudong district. The Oriental Pearl Tower and the lines of brightly lit skyscrapers were incredibly distinct against the night sky.

Down at the river level, the view was just as impressive. We spent the evening watching the light show on the buildings, with colors and patterns constantly changing. The reflections on the water were just as vivid as the buildings themselves. There was a steady traffic of boats on the river, many of them tour boats lit up in bright blues and purples, cruising in front of the skyline.

It seemed like the essential thing to do was get a photo by the railing with the full Pudong cityscape in the background. It’s a way to mark that you were actually there, standing in front of something so enormous. The scale of the architecture and the sheer amount of light is what I remember most clearly.