Pudong, Shanghai

PudongPudong New Area is the vanguard economic development zone of China. The Chinese have a tradition of naming cities and areas based on direction and natural landmarks. For example, Shanghai literally means “up” or “above the sea.” Beijing means “northern capital” and Hainan, the southern most part of China means “south of the sea.” Fittingly, Pudong means “east of the Huangpu river”, “dong” means east and “pu” is short for Huangpu. Shanghai is divided into two main districts, Pudong and Puxi, west of the Huangpu. Puxi is the largest district of Shanghai and is home to 90% of its residents, it is developed and has been for decades. Pudong was farmland and factories as of 1990 and is now home to one of the fastest changing skylines in the world. Pudong is also home to Pudong International Airport, which is the 3rd busiest airport in the world in terms of freight, and is home to the world's first commercial high-speed maglev train.

There are several notable structures in Pudong's Lujiazui Trade and Finance Zone. Perhaps the most famous one, and the oldest, is the Oriental Pearl Tower. At a height of over 1,500 ft, this enormous tower features fifteen observation levels, a revolving restaurant, and an exclusive 20 room hotel. It is the only building I remember from my trip to Shanghai in 2001. Next to the Oriental Pearl Tower is the 88 story Jin Mao Tower. The final construction price is estimated to be over $530 million and sits at just under 1,400 feet. Chicago based architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill incorporated the lucky number 8 within the building's design. There are 88 floors built into an octagon shear wall, surrounded by 8 exterior super-columns and 8 steel columns. The Chinese are highly superstitious and tend to include that in their architecture. Planning for the Beijing Olympics included lucky numbers, lucky directions, and ying and yang. Jin Mao Tower has a shopping mall, restaurants, and a 5-star Hyatt hotel. It is home to the world's highest swimming pool on the 57th floor, and home to the world's highest bar on the 87th floor.

The current tallest building in China, and world's tallest completed building, is the Shanghai World Financial Center. At more than twice the cost of Jin Mao Tower, this super tall building boasts 101 floors and a glass-floor observatory on the 100th floor. I conquered my fear of heights and visited the glass floor observatory and was truly blown away by the view. Even the current tallest building in the world is going to be dwarfed by an even taller building in 2014. Shanghai Tower is currently being constructed right next to Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center. This eco-friendly building features an insulating outer skin, wind turbines that generate energy for the building, a glass facade that reduces wind loads by 24%, and a rainwater collecting system that is recycled for air-conditioning. It is projected to be completed at over 2,000 feet and will be the tallest building in China. These three super skyscrapers are going to be the future of Shanghai and will be a symbol of Shanghai and China's place in the modern world.