Asia

[Visited: September 2009]

When we arrived at the foot of the Shanghai World Financial Center, and looked up, the height of the building towering above us seemed to reach to the sky. The sharp lines, with one dark and one lighted side, made the skyscraper look like an extremely tall, narrow sail because of its curved form. Once inside, going up to the top floor appeared not to be straightforward. We first went down, and saw an exhibition with some additional information about the monstrous building. The ceiling is remarkable: fast gyrating kaleidoscopes with changing shapes and different colours catch the eye, before we finally stepped into one of the dozens of elevators. The ceiling of the elevator consisted or artistic and futuristic lights, changing fast in form and colour, giving the others in the elevator a weird appearance, while a sound complements to make for a memorable elevator ride.
Before we knew it, we had reached the 94th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, which means we had passed the shopping area, the restaurants, office buildings and a five star hotel in the meantime. From the 94th floor, we were guided by uniformed women pointing us the right way, and we went further up to the 97th, to end up at the 100th floor - the location of the Sky Walk. At the top of the building, a distinctive element was added: an opening in the building. This was done to reduce wind pressure. The initial circular opening was modified into the rectangular one we see today, as the circular opening would have resembled the Japanese flag, according to opponents. Seen from below, the building looks like a giant bottle opener - but from above, you do not realize this.
With the pulsating city of Shanghai literally lying at your feet from atop the Shanghai World Financial Center, you realize how high you are when you look down on the streets. In fact, this is the tallest building in China, surpassing Jin Mao tower just next to it, which indeed seems much smaller. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world; the observation deck is the highest in the world. In the Sky Walk, several openings allow for a view looking down the almost 500 metres height of the building, but the best views are had from the windows on the side. You can search for landmarks of Shanghai from here: the Huangpu River, the Bund, the main streets and roads, the characteristic buildings which look so different from here than from below. No matter how fantastic the views from the Sky Walk, a visit to the top of the World Financial Center does not just allow you a peek from the top of the tallest building of the city, but is an experience in itself.

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Shanghai World Financial Center (China)

Shanghai World Financial Center > China > Asia

[Visited: September 2009]

Around the World in 80 Clicks