Oriental Pearl Tower

Basic data

Place:

Shanghai

Government immediate city:

Shanghai

Country:

People's Republic of China

Altitude :

27 m

Coordinates: 31 ° 14 ′ 30.4 " N , 121 ° 29 ′ 42.9" E

Use:

TV tower , restaurant, observation tower, hotel

Tower data

Construction time :

1991-1995

Architect :	Jia Hua Cheng
Building material :	Steel , concrete

Total height :

468 m

Total mass :

120,000 t

Data on the transmission system

Further data

Opening:

January 1, 1995

Viewing platforms:

90 m, 263 m and 342 m

Height of revolving restaurant:

267 m

Max. Wind load:

600 km / h

Position map

Oriental Pearl Tower

The Oriental Pearl Tower ( Chinese 東方明珠塔 / 东方明珠塔 , Pinyin Dōngfāng Míngzhūtǎ - "Pearl of the East") is located in the Shanghai district of Pudong and with a height of 468 meters is currently the third highest television tower in Asia and the fifth highest in the world . Until the completion of the Shanghai World Financial Center , it was also the tallest structure in China. Its unique construction of eleven spheres of different sizes at different heights and supported by columns has become one of the most famous landmarks of the city of Shanghai . The tower stands at the top of Lujiazui on the banks of the Huangpu Jiang . In the base of the tower there is a museum that shows the history of Shanghai.

history

The TV tower was designed by architect Jiang Huancheng and Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd. designed. Construction began in 1991 and construction work was completed after three years. The inauguration took place on January 1, 1995. The tower is visited by two to three million tourists annually. On July 7th 2007 one of the eleven Live Earth concerts took place at the Oriental Pearl Tower .

description

The tower, constructed as a vertical cantilever arm , is dominated by three spheres, which are located at a height of 90 meters and at the end of the lower shaft. The lower sphere (with open-air platform) has a diameter of 50 meters, the upper 45 meters. Above this sphere, the structure continues with a narrower shaft, at the top of which sits another smaller sphere, in which the highest viewing platform is located at 342 m. This is where the 118 meter high antenna closes off the television tower.

The two larger spheres are connected by three pillars measuring 9 meters in diameter. Additional balls (14 m in diameter) are attached between the pillars. The shaft is supported by three outwardly spreading pillars anchored underground, which also carry spheres. The five smaller spheres house the Space Hotel with a total of 20 rooms. The Oriental Pearl Tower has a total of eleven spheres of different diameters. The largest three main spheres are silver with a reddish coating in places. The smaller balls are silver in color.

The maximum structural wind load is 600 km / h. Six elevators with a capacity of up to 30 people can take visitors to the viewing platforms (90, 263 and 342 m) or the revolving restaurant (267 m). The drive to the viewing platform at 263 m takes 45 seconds. Five of these elevators run in the three pillars that make up the tower shaft. An elevator goes to the top viewing platform, which is called the Space Cabin . In addition to a restaurant, the middle platform houses a tea house and offers space for up to 1,600 people in the largest room. At night, the tower is illuminated by a specially designed lighting system. The design of the tower goes back to a poem by Bai Juyi , a poet from the Tang Dynasty . The poem is about the sound of a pipa , reminiscent of pearls falling on a jade plate . Seen from a distance, the pylons and struts of the Yangpu and Nanpu bridges over the Huangpu Jiang look like two mad Chinese dragons playing with pearls.

use

In addition to the tourist attraction as a viewing tower , the Oriental Pearl Tower is used to transmit nine television and ten radio channels. It is visited by more than 3 million tourists annually.