Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jinmao Tower and around
Shanghai's most attractive modern building, the
Jinmao Tower
, is an elegantly
tapering postmodern take on Art Deco, built by the Chicago office of Skidmore,
Owings and Merrill. All the proportions are based on the lucky number eight
- the 88 floors are divided into sixteen segments, each of which is one-eighth
shorter than the sixteen-storey base - but never mind the mathematics, the
harmony is obvious at first glance. The roof wittily references a pagoda and, for
once, doesn't look like a tacked-on afterthought. What look from a distance like
filigree are actually decorative metal struts - they make the building appear
eminently possible to climb, a in d indeed in 2001 it was scaled, apparently on a
whim, by a visiting shoe salesman; hence the “no climbing” s i gns around the
base. The tower's first 53 floors are offices; from there on up is the spectacular
Grand Hyatt
hotel (se
t
p.110).
The
observation deck
on the 87th floor (daily 8am-10pm; ¥50) is acces-
sible from the basement, via an entrance on the building's north side. An
ear-popping lift whisks you up 340m to the top in a matter of seconds. The
spectacle of the city spread out before you is of course sublime, but turn
round for a giddying view down the building's glorious galleried atrium.
Alternatively, for great views for free, go in the front door (on the eastern
side) and up to the hotel lobby on the 54th floor where you can take
advantage of the
Hyatt
's comfy, window-side chairs. To see the city in real
style, though, come here at night for a cocktail at the hotel's swish
Cloud
Nine
bar - it's not for the penny-pincher though (see p.126).
The
J-Life annex
on the northern side of the tower is a high-end shopping
mall - all very pricey but it's good to know about the juice bar near the bottom
of the escalators. On the eastern side, the
Wo r ld Financial Centre
is a brutalist
slab set to loom thuggishly over the trim Jinmao. At 492m, it will be, when
finished, t he world's second tallest building - though they're considering adding
a spire to steal the title - and an observation deck is planned for the 100th floor.
The tapering top was going to have a huge circular hole through it, but prickly
locals protested that it made the apex look too much like the rising sun of the
Japanese flag, so the hole was reshaped as an oblong.
Century Park and around
From Lujiazui, the eight-lane Shiji Dadao (Century Avenue) zooms for 4km to
one of the city's largest and newest green expanses,
Century Park
(though it's
not quite green enough as yet, as it will take a few years for all the new plants
to mature). The area is being spruced with the 2010 Expo in mind, w hich is
perhaps why there's an odd feeling here of being on a stage set that's waiting for
its actors. It is, however, a very pleasant place to pass some time, with wide
pavements and priority given to pedestrians over traffic, stretches of unbroken
lawn and low-rise buildings conferring a great sense of space - it makes you
realize how cramped the rest of the city is. There are also some striking new
buildings - not high rises for once -foremost among which are the
Science
and Te c hnology Museum
and the
Oriental Arts Centre
.
The simplest way to get here is on the metro. Century Park has its own stop,
which drops you at its southern edge, but a better approach is to get off at the
Science and Technology Museum stop (labelled in English), just three stops east
90
