Dongfang Mingzhu and its spheres above the Huangpu River

Dongfang Mingzhu in Shanghai is a 468 m television tower of stacked steel spheres above the Huangpu River, reshaping Pudong’s skyline in the 1990s and beyond.

Dongfang Mingzhu rises above the Huangpu River in Shanghai as a steel television tower whose stacked spheres have become a clear marker of Pudong’s late twentieth-century skyline. Completed in 1994 and opened to visitors in 1995, it is a 468 m (1,535 ft) structure designed by Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd., with principal designers including Jiang Huan Chen, Lin Benlin and Zhang Xiulin.

A multi-sphere tower on the riverfront

The tower stands in the Lujiazui area of Pudong, directly facing the older riverfront districts across the Huangpu, and its position makes it easy to read against the cluster of high-rise buildings around it.Lujiazui in Pudong Construction began in 1991 and reached completion in 1994, placing Dongfang Mingzhu firmly in the phase when this side of Shanghai was turning from low-rise waterfront into a district of tall buildings.Construction began in 1991

Seen from the river, the tower’s steel structure carries a sequence of spheres of different sizes, linked by slender shafts and platforms that give it a tiered profile above the base. The overall height of 468 m (1,535 ft) includes the antenna that broadcasts radio and television signals, and this height made Dongfang Mingzhu the tallest structure in China for more than a decade after its completion, before newer towers in the financial district overtook it.468 m overall height The spheres themselves are the elements most easily recognised from a distance, and they give the tower its characteristic stacked appearance in photographs of the Pudong skyline.

Late twentieth-century Shanghai in steel and glass

Dongfang Mingzhu belongs to the period when Shanghai’s skyline was expanding rapidly and new structures were appearing along Century Avenue and around Lujiazui. Work on the tower, which started in 1991 and finished in 1994, reflects that late twentieth-century phase, and the tower has served since then both as a broadcasting facility and as a public viewpoint over the city.Completed in 1994 Its steel frame, combined with concrete elements and glass-walled observation levels, gives it a technical character distinct from Shanghai’s older masonry riverfront.

The principal designers, including Jiang Huan Chen, Lin Benlin and Zhang Xiulin, worked within Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd., a practice associated with large-scale projects during this era.Principal designers Jiang Huan Chen, Lin Benlin and Zhang Xiulin Their multi-sphere composition sets Dongfang Mingzhu apart from straight-sided towers, and the result is an object that reads as a sequence of volumes rising from the base rather than a single shaft. In the years after completion, the tower’s 468 m height gave it the status of China’s tallest structure until projects such as Shanghai World Financial Center and other high-rise buildings in Pudong surpassed it, making it part of a group of very tall structures rather than a solitary giant.

Observation levels and city views

Although Dongfang Mingzhu is first and foremost a radio and television tower, it was opened to visitors in 1995 and incorporates a series of observation levels at different heights.Opened to the public in 1994 These levels are situated within the spheres and along the tower’s vertical structure, giving views over both Pudong’s new high-rise districts and the historic Bund area across the river. Above one of the main spheres, an observation space referred to as the “Space Capsule” reaches more than 350 m above ground, while a slightly lower deck offers all-round glazing for panoramic views.Top observation deck around 351 m

Within another sphere, a revolving restaurant sits more than 260 m above the city, turning slowly through a full rotation over a set period and giving diners a gradual sequence of views as the floor moves.Revolving restaurant at 267 m The base of the tower houses the Shanghai Municipal History Museum, which presents exhibits about the city’s past within a modern architectural setting.Shanghai Municipal History Museum in the base Together, the broadcasting antenna, the observation decks, the museum and the restaurant create a combination of uses in one structure that reflects Shanghai’s interest in both media infrastructure and urban tourism.

Visiting Dongfang Mingzhu: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Dongfang Mingzhu stands at No. 1 Century Avenue in the Lujiazui area of Pudong, reached by road links across the Huangpu River and by metro services stopping in the financial district.
• The tower’s highest levels rise to hundreds of metres above the ground, and access to the upper observation spaces involves lifts as well as internal staircases between some viewing areas.
• The base of the tower includes interior exhibition spaces, so a visit combines time outdoors on the forecourt with enclosed areas inside the steel and concrete structure.
• The official language is Chinese and the currency is the yuan (CNY).
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Dongfang Mingzhu

Where is Dongfang Mingzhu located in Shanghai?

Dongfang Mingzhu stands at No. 1 Century Avenue in the Lujiazui area of Pudong, on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River opposite Shanghai’s historic Bund.

What should visitors expect during a visit?

A visit combines lifts and internal circulation to several observation levels, views over Pudong and the Bund, time inside exhibition areas and, for those who book, dining in the revolving restaurant.

What makes Dongfang Mingzhu distinctive among Shanghai’s towers?

Its steel construction with stacked spheres, 468 m (1,535 ft) height, combination of broadcasting and public functions and its role in Pudong’s 1990s skyline give it a distinctive profile among Shanghai’s high-rise structures.