SMU Update 5/18/11

The cadets here along with the international students had the privilege to be taken on a tour by Shanghai Maritime University to the Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Museum. The significance of the Shanghai World Financial Center is that it is one of the tallest buildings in the world, and in fact has the highest skywalk in the entire world. Yes, and we got to go to the top of it. We could see the building from tens of miles away on our way into the city as it towers over everything else. The building almost looks like a bottle opener because there is a huge hole in the middle of building near the top. Later we found out that engineers needed to style the building this way because it stands so tall that the wind needs travel through it. From the outside, you could not even see the top from the bottom.

This is a huge tourist attraction in Shanghai, as the place was extremely crowded. We entered a pitch black room, and it seemed like we were waiting in line for Space Mountain at Disney World. From there we entered a futuristic elevator, and everything was neon lit. The elevator took us up to the top floor in under ten seconds. I wish they had warned me that my ears would pop. The skywalk stands at 492-metres (1,614-ft). As you can see the outside is visible at all angles. The floor is glass too, which at first I hesitated to step on to it. 

You could see the entire city, and even more. The view at night must be unimaginable. It honestly was like we were looking out the window of an airplane, you could barely see the cars. After that we were taken to the gift store where we all bought some souvenirs. It was a great tour, and is a must-see for anyone who visits China. This is a symbol of China’s emerging economic dominance. What is even crazier is that they are in the process of creating an even taller building right next door!