Shanghai - Part 2

Today was the second day of the Game Developer Conference in Shanghai, China. We rented a meeting room, to conduct demonstrations of the latest graphics technology for various game developers that attended the event:

Downstairs is more of a trade-show environment, with booths from various Chinese game companies:

The convention center is located in Pudong, an area within Shanghai. Pudong has seen an enormous amount of construction over the last 5 years. The government basically took a run-down area of town (crime, decay, drugs) and gutted it. Even since my last visit, I don't recognize some of these buildings. Two years ago, I was able to say in a Hyatt hotel that was located in the tallest building in the world - the Jin Mao Tower. The hotel didn't even start until the 53rd floor.

Two years later, this building has been eclipsed - quite literally - by an even taller building in Shanghai (the world's tallest is now in Dubai). It's the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Obviously not my picture...

It houses a Park Hyatt Hotel - making it the highest hotel in the world. This hotel occupies the 79th to 93rd floors of the building. I would love to stay there, but it's just a little too expensive. Here's a picture (sorry, this was taken from a taxi):

Building #1 is the Jin Mao. Building #2 is the World Financial Center…or, as I like to call it, "The Giant Bottle Opener" ; ) It can be seen from just about everywhere in Shanghai.

I thought you deserved a much better picture than my own from the taxi ; )

Next to the convention center is the giant Pearl TV Tower:

It's a massive structure - it fits right in with all of the other skyscrapers around Shanghai and Pudong. It's also a big tourist attraction. I wish I had time to go all the way up to the observation deck.

Next to the Pearl are a series of sidewalk "eateries". I use this term quite loosely. Basically, they're close to temporary shacks, with a couple of stove-top burners. They make the food each day and basically put it right out into the open. This is a what it looks like:

Tomorrow is my last day in Shanghai, and then it's off to Beijing. I'm excited to meet up with my wife. We're going to have a blast!