The Shanghai World Financial Center is a taller-than-tall skyscraper situated in Pudong, next to Pudong River in the Lujiazui financial district of Shanghai. To date It is the world’s twelfth tallest building, and  the seventh tallest in Mainland China; till 2014 it was the tallest building in Shanghai, and at one point the highest roof in the world.

The Shanghai World Financial Center, standing next to the Shanghai Tower and the Jin Mao Tower, forms the world’s first trio-cluster of supertall skyscrapers. The building faced temporary setbacks during the 1990s at the time of the Asian Financial Crisis; it took eleven years for it to be completed, with funding by a number of multinational firms, banks, developers, and stockholders. It officially opened in 2008. 

It is a multi-use skyscraper, serving as a global economic, information, lifestyle, retail, and tourist hub. It is home to offices, hotels, conference and meeting rooms, exhibition halls, museums, observation decks, restaurants, and ground-floor shopping malls including Ernst & Young, Google’s Shanghai branch, and Park Hyatt Shanghai, the third-highest hotel in the world. 

Awards For Shanghai World Financial Center

Shanghai World Financial Center’s distinguishing feature is the trapezoid aperture at its peak, giving it the look of a bottle opener, and leading to its nickname ‘The Bottle-Opener.’ 

The simplicity of its shape combined with the enormity of its size is the essence of its innovative design, for which it has been feted. In 2008 it was hailed by architects as the year’s best-completed skyscraper, receiving the Best Tall Building Overall, and Asia & Australasia Awards from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 

The minimal amount of steel trusses used in its construction make the building light-weight, wind and earthquake resistant, and sustainable.

Shanghai World Financial Center’s Ranking

5 Facts About Shanghai World Financial Center

• Height of building: 492 metres
• Architectural style: Neo-Futurism
• Construction cost: RMB ¥ 8.17 billion
• Number of floors: 101 floors above ground; 3 floors below
• Number of lifts and elevators: 91 lifts; 33 escalators

Basic Information

Opening Hours: 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM daily (last entry at 9:30 PM)
Entrance Fee: Adults: CNY 120 for 94F. CNY 180 for Combo Ticket for 94F, 97F and 100F
Children between 1 and 1.4m (3.3 and 4.6ft) and the disabled: CNY 60 for 94F. CNY 90 for Combo Ticket for 94F, 97F and 100F
Best time to visit: While the views in daytime and at dusk, sunset, and night are stunning, if you visit in rainy or foggy weather you would get little or no views.

5 Things to Do at Shanghai World Financial Center

1. Ascend to the top of the skyscraper via the psychedelically lit elevators for a thrilling ride of 10 meters per second, moving from the first to the 95th floor in a minute.
2. Try any of the fine restaurants on the ground levels, and in the Hyatt Regency between floors 79 to 93.
3. The sightseeing hall has a souvenir store and can also be used for exhibitions.
4. On the sightseeing observatory on 97F the parapets in the window and the ingeniously designed ceiling with skylights provide a good place for photography.
5. Visit the three observation deck floors on 94F, 97F, and 100F for three different experiences. Get a beautiful bird’s eye view of the whole city and many of its main attractions such as the Huangpu River, the Bund, and Pudong’s cityscape. Walk on the transparent glass-walled walkways to feel like you are walking on air above the city. The 100th floor deck with a 55-m viewing gallery and a glass skywalk is the third highest observation deck in China, after Canton Tower and Shenzhen IFC, and the fourth highest in the world. The tops of Oriental Pearl Tower and Jin Mao Tower are right underfoot the glass floor of the 100th floor.

Tips for Shanghai World Financial Center

• Check the Observation Deck prices for entrance fee deals. The ticket to each of the decks singly is 100+RMB, but if you buy a combined package to all three decks, the price is 180 RMB.
• The wait-time in the queue for the 100th floor observation deck can stretch up to an hour, so keep that margin in your trip. 
• There are many elevators leading to the various points of the building, so check where you want to go before entering. Elevators to the observatories are located in Basement 1, where tickets are to the sightseeing platform are sold as well.

Recommended Hotels Near Shanghai World Financial Center

Location

Getting to Shanghai World Financial Center

By Metro
Metro Line 2: get off at Dongchang Road Station, get out of the station from Exit 4; or get off at Lujiazui Station and get out of the station from Exit 6. Then walk 10 minutes towards the building.
By Bus
1. Take bus Lujiazui Financial City Line 2 or Lujiazui Financial City Loop Line and get off at Dongtailu Shijidadao Station.
2. Take bus 583, 799, or 939 and get off at Huayuan Shiqiaolu Dongtailu Station.
3. Take bus 791, 870, 961, or 985 and get off at Lujiazui Huanlu Dongtailu Station.
4. Take bus 01, 798, 992, Lujiazui Financial City Line 3, or Lujiazui Financial City Line 4 and get off at Shiji Dadao Pudong Nanlu Station.
BY Ferry
From the Bund, take ferry to Dongchang Road Pier and then walk 10 minutes to the building.