Shanghai: The Most Developed City in China - A Driving Tour You Don’t Wanna Miss

Love Shanghai, love the city and love Lujiazui! Lujiazui is Shanghai’s glitzy financial district, known for futuristic skyscrapers like the Shanghai Tower, with its lofty observation deck, and the needle-like Oriental Pearl TV Tower, home to the Shanghai Municipal History Museum. The area is also noted for its luxe-hotel nightlife, with European fine dining, stylish bars and posh dance clubs offering panoramic views. Lying on the east bank of Huangpu River and facing the Bund, Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone occupies 28 square kilometers (10.8 square miles) and is studded with around 100 high-rise buildings. Many are landmark buildings of Shanghai, making the area a great place to experience the modern flavor of this metropolis. Often called the ’Wall Street of China’, Lujiazui is the largest financial zone in mainland China, with more than 400 banks and financial institutions from both home and abroad, including HSBC, Citibank, and Standard Chartered Bank. In addition, it is home to the headquarters of over 70 international giants and about 5,000 companies engaged in trade, investment, and intermediary services. The sum of transactions in the Shanghai stock market ranks it the 2nd in the world only behind the New York Stock Exchange. Since the reform and opening-up policy carried out in 1978, Shanghai has enjoyed a great economic boom, and Lujiazui is gradually becoming more widely known. However, few know the origin of the name (Lu Jia Zui in Chinese), which literally means Lu family dwelling on a mouth-shaped alluvial beach. In fact, the name is associated with Lu Shen, a noted scholar of Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). After Lu retired, he lived on this land until his death. Today, you can still find Lu Shen’s calligraphy in Shanghai Museum. His former residence and family cemetery are located in this area. In Lujiazui, the charm of the city as an international metropolis is unfolded to the largest degree. One can admire the modern skyscrapers along Binjiang Avenue as well as various buildings of different architectural styles across the Huangpu River. The four tallest landmarks of the city - the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Shanghai Tower are constructed next to each other. When night comes, all the buildings are decorated with shining colorful lights, presenting a gorgeous scene before your eyes. The Bund, facing this financial zone across the river, is the most wonderful place to enjoy the night view. ---------------------⭐⭐ Oriental Pearl Tower Oriental Pearl Tower, measuring 468 meters (1,536 feet) in height, has three viewing floors. An exhibition hall, demonstrating the history of the city, is at the base of the tower. The lower sphere has a viewing hall at a height of 90 meters (295 feet), providing a wonderful position to see the Bund and the graceful scenery along the Huangpu River. Visitors can also have a panoramic view of the whole city on the transparent observatory at 259 meters (850 feet) or the Capsule Sightseeing Floor at 351 meters (1,152 feet). ---------------------⭐⭐ Jin Mao Tower Jin Mao Tower, with a height of 420.5 meters (1,380 feet), is also a good place to view the city. The superfast elevator takes only 45 seconds to take visitors from the basement to the viewing hall on the 88th floor, providing visitors magnificent metropolitan cityscapes along Huangpu River, and views of the distinctive rosy dawn and sunset. ---------------------⭐⭐ Shanghai World Financial Center As the tallest flat-roof building in the world, it is 492 meters (1,614 feet) high with 101 stories. Sightseeing area occupies storeys from the 94th to the 100th floor. The viewing hall on the 100th floor is at a height of 474 meters (1,555 feet). The sightseeing bridge on the 97th floor seems to be constructed in the air. It would give you an illusion that you are wandering in the sky. ---------------------⭐⭐ Shanghai Tower At present, it is the tallest building in China, measuring 632 meters (2,073 feet) in height. The exterior of the building spirals upward to the top with one degree twist per storey to reduce the wind effect. ---------------------⭐⭐ Other Walk East’s Cool Playlists: Night Walking Tour In China’s Metropolitan Cities: 4K⁶⁰ Traditional Chinese Architectures: China’s Stunning Old Towns: Shanghai City Classic Scenes: 4K⁶⁰ Driving In China: ----------------------⭐⭐ #shanghai