Dongfang Mingzhu and its stacked spheres on Shanghai’s riverfront
Published on 09/14/2026 at 15:54 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Dongfang Mingzhu, known in English as the Oriental Pearl Tower, rises above the Huangpu River in Shanghai as a late twentieth-century steel television tower defined by a chain of stacked spheres and slender supporting columns. Completed in 1994 and opened to visitors in 1995, it reaches a total height of 468 m (1,535 ft), giving the layered spheres a commanding presence over the Pudong New Area and the historic Bund across the water.
A television tower built into stacked steel spheres
The core of Dongfang Mingzhu is a vertical cantilever structure in steel and concrete, carrying a sequence of spheres of different sizes along its height.vertical cantilever structure Designed by Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd., with principal designers including Jiang Huan Chen, Lin Benlin and Zhang Xiulin, it serves as a radio and television tower as well as a public viewing platform.Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd.
The spheres punctuate the tower’s height, forming enclosed levels that house observation areas, exhibition spaces and other facilities inside a geometry that is instantly recognisable on Shanghai’s skyline.observation areas Between them, cylindrical shafts and supporting legs connect the different levels, giving the structure a sense of rhythm from base to antenna. The main body of the tower rises to about 351 m (1,152 ft), with the antenna taking the overall height to 468 m (1,535 ft), a figure that keeps Dongfang Mingzhu among the taller structures in Shanghai’s layered skyline.351 m main body
Pudong, the Huangpu River and the Bund opposite
Dongfang Mingzhu stands at No. 1 Century Avenue in the Lujiazui area of Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River opposite the Bund on the river’s western side.No. 1 Century Avenue The site sits near the tip of the Lujiazui peninsula, where the river curves around the financial district and frames views back towards the older Puxi districts, with the Bund’s early twentieth-century facades forming a contrasting backdrop.tip of Lujiazui
Around the base of the tower, plazas and access routes link Dongfang Mingzhu to neighbouring office blocks, shopping centres and other high-rise developments that form Shanghai’s main financial cluster.plaza and access routes The Huangpu River runs immediately beside the site, separating Pudong’s newer towers from the Bund, so that the stacked spheres of Dongfang Mingzhu often appear in photographs together with domes and mansard roofs from an earlier era.
Observing Shanghai from inside the spheres
Visitors enter Dongfang Mingzhu through the structure at its base and ascend by lift to enclosed viewing levels within the spheres and upper sections of the tower.enclosed viewing levels Several floors act as observation decks, including a main deck at a mid-level height and further vantage points higher up, giving views across the Huangpu River to the Bund and deep into the street grid of Pudong.
Beyond the viewing platforms, the tower contains exhibition spaces and other visitor facilities distributed within the spheres and linking structures, turning the vertical geometry into an interior sequence of rooms and galleries.exhibition spaces Glass and steel surfaces frame long vistas along the river and towards other landmarks such as the Shanghai World Financial Center and nearby skyscrapers, so that a visit inside Dongfang Mingzhu becomes a way to read the surrounding cityscape through the tower’s stacked spheres.
Visiting Dongfang Mingzhu: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Dongfang Mingzhu stands at No. 1 Century Avenue in the Lujiazui area of Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River opposite the Bund.
The area is served by road links across the river and metro lines stopping in the financial district. - The approach to the tower involves urban plazas and walkways around high-rise buildings, with internal lifts carrying visitors up through the structure to the enclosed levels within the spheres.
- Shanghai lies in eastern China, where the official language is Mandarin Chinese and the currency is the renminbi (yuan).
- 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.
Searching for Dongfang Mingzhu on social platforms
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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 the Bund on the western side.
What can visitors expect inside the tower?
Visitors ascend by lift to enclosed observation levels within the stacked spheres, where viewing platforms and exhibition spaces offer wide views across Pudong and the Huangpu River.
What makes Dongfang Mingzhu distinctive among Shanghai’s towers?
Its steel structure with multiple stacked spheres, the total height of 468 m (1,535 ft) and its position by the Huangpu River opposite the Bund together give Dongfang Mingzhu a silhouette strongly associated with Shanghai’s late twentieth-century skyline.
