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Landmark’s value clear to me only on second visit
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I first visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in 2006. At that time, the Oriental Pearl had lost a bit of its shine. I have to admit that I was not very impressed. Some of this must be attributed to my 10-year-old mind at the time, but the tower did lack excitement.
That all changed when I visited the tower again in August 2013. I was not expecting much. However, I noticed that all around me, the tourists from other parts of China were buzzing with excitement.
Immediately I noticed massive changes and improvements. My first stop was the 267-meter observatory deck. But it wasn’t until I noticed a sign that read, “351M Space Capsule” that my tour became interesting. The elevator took me to the 351-meter level, and I was impressed this time. I had no idea that such a floor had even existed, and when I looked out the window, the streets of Shanghai were a blur. The space floor had an interactive screen where visitors could look for constellations with the stroke of a finger and could type on a laser keyboard projected onto a simple desk. The highlight was a screen that showed what you were currently doing, and then projected animated fingers behind you to dance to PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”
But my favorite part of the whole tour was the transparent observatory.
This was a new addition, and allowed tourists to walk and lean on nothing but glass and watch Shanghai move right under their feet in an amazing 360-degree view. With the streets of Shanghai buzzing right beneath me, it really felt like I was standing on air, walking through the sky.
Upon exiting the building, I still couldn’t understand why all these tourists chose to come to the Oriental Pearl Tower despite all the newer and taller attractions. Fortunately, I had my mother with me to help clarify the matter. My mother was in Shanghai in 1994 when they first opened the tower. She was among the numerous people who anxiously awaited the arrival of this new iconic landmark. To her, the tower was never supposed to be the tallest building in Shanghai or just a tourist attraction. To her, it signified growth and development of not only Shanghai, but of China as well.
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