BootsnAll Travel Network



Land of Skyscrapers

I was lured to Shanghai by the futuristic skyline of the new Pudong district. I have been surprised to discover that the true heart of the city surrounds the Renmin (People’s) Square, a 15 minute walk down Nanjing shopping street from the Bund. From this beautiful park the views and sleek modern highrises and museums are equally impressive but with more energy. This is downtown.

Pudong is stunning from a distance with the river in the forefront and the prominent Pearl Tower, but when you get off at Lujiazui station you can’t ignore the unfinished feeling of the place.  The crashes and pops of construction fill the air and for every two buildings is a crane.  The Jinmao Tower, completed in 1998, is China’s tallest building for now.  For me it can be appreciated from both afar and up close.  Its unique tecture and design give it both a feel of old Chinese forms and soaring modernity. 

Behind it is the Shanghai World Financial Center that was set for completion later this year but has been plagued by delays.  If completed before the Burj Dubai in Dubai it will hold the breif distinction as the world’s tallest at 492m.  With other “world’s highest” buildings slated for ground breaking across China, the country’s future as land of the skyscraper seems secure.  Six of the ten highest are already in China, and if the economy continues at its pace the sky is literally the limit.



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