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Pudong or locally know as Pudong Business District, is one of the business centers in Shanghai. It was first developed in 1990 and has since then emerged as one of China’s biggest financial and commercial hub. Pudong is home to the Lujiazui economic district and a skyline that contains the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Jin Mao Tower; these two structures are the symbols of Shanghai and China's economic development.
Pudong used to be mainly made up of farm lands until in 1990, when it developed into a financial hub. Soon tall building started to rise on this area and was coined as a Special Economic Zone. Pudong is a large chunk of business district and may be well divided into different smaller district in the future. In chinese local dialect, Pudong means “East of Huang” or “River Bank East”, this is because Pudong is located on the east bank of HuangPu River. It has a total land area of 522 kilometer and a population of approximately 1 million people. The western edge of the Pudong district is the part that is fully developed and was designated to be the new financial hub of China which was later named as Lujiaziu Finance and Trade Zone. Several landmarks have transformed Pudong into a major tourist spot in Shanghai. The high rise buildings here have raised the overall personality and popularity of Pudong. This includes the Oriental Pearl TV tower and the Jin Mao Building. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the spectacular jewel of Shanghai that attracts visitors to this area all year round. It is the third tallest TV and radio tower with a unique architectural design. The tower stands 1,536 feet in height with 3 different levels for tourists to visit allowing them to see the beautiful landscape of Shanghai. The ultra modern tower makes for a great place to visit in Shanghai for tourists, researchers, academicians as well as for conference and business purposes. The JinMao tower behind the Orietnal TV Tower is an 88 storey tower known to be the third tallest building in the world and in China. This building caters to a whole lot of services and is home to the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai and various exhibition halls and banquets. Waigaoqiao is the largest free trade zone in China also located in the Pudong district. It covers up to a total land area of 55 kilometers. Another major business zone in Pudong is the Jinqiao Export Processing Zone which covers up 19 kilometers of land area. The hi-tech park established in Pudong named Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park is a special area for information technology related businesses. One of the latest developments in Pudong New District is the operation of the new Maglev Train which travels at a speed of 400km per hour from Pudong International Airport to Longyang Metro station. This fast paced train has contributed to the development and tourism of Shanghai within the past years. To get a good view of the city lights, tourists are advised to visit Pudong at night time in order to witness its transformation from a busy metropolitan city to a blooming light of fantasy. |
