Jin Mao Tower & World Financial Center – Pudong's Sky-High Icons

Jin Mao Tower and World Financial Center Shanghai

Standing side by side in the Lujiazui financial district, the Jin Mao Tower (金茂大厦) and the Shanghai World Financial Center (上海环球金融中心, SWFC) are two of Shanghai's most iconic skyscrapers — each offering extraordinary observation decks with sweeping views over the city and Huangpu River.

Jin Mao Tower (金茂大厦)

Completed in 1999 and designed by American architect Adrian Smith at SOM, the 88-storey Jin Mao Tower rises 421 metres in a postmodern pagoda form inspired by ancient Chinese architecture. The tower symbolises good fortune — 8 is lucky in Chinese culture, and the building is rich with multiples of 8 in its proportions.

  • Observation Deck (88th floor) – At 340.1 m, the open deck offers 360° panoramas. Look straight down the tower's spectacular atrium — one of the tallest interior atriums in the world.
  • Grand Hyatt Shanghai – Floors 53–87 host the luxury hotel; the Cloud 9 bar on the 87th floor serves cocktails with the same views.

Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC)

The 492-metre SWFC, completed in 2008 and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, is instantly recognizable for its trapezoidal opening at the crown — originally planned as a circle but changed to avoid offending Chinese sentiment about the Japanese Rising Sun flag.

  • Sky Walk 94 (439 m) – An enclosed glass observation room at Level 94.
  • Sky Walk 97 (453 m) – Glass floor sections offer a vertigo-inducing look straight down.
  • Sky Walk 100 (474 m) – The highest public observation space in Shanghai; the glass-floored sky bridge looks out across the entire city.

Shanghai Tower

Right next door, the 632-metre Shanghai Tower (上海中心大厦) — China's tallest building — also has an observation deck at the 118th floor (546 m). The three towers together form the most dramatic urban skyline cluster in Asia.

Tickets & Hours

  • Jin Mao Observation Deck: CNY 120 | Daily 08:30–22:00
  • SWFC Sky Walk 100: CNY 180 | Daily 08:00–23:00
  • Metro: Line 2, Lujiazui Station (陆家嘴站)

Get There from the Airport

From Pudong Airport, the Maglev to Longyang Road then Metro Line 2 takes about 40 minutes to Lujiazui. Or book an airport transfer for a direct ride.