Puxi\x26#39;s latest, greatest observation deck
We love a good weird showy phallus in this city, and earlier this month, we triumphantly unsheathed yet another with the opening of 'The Stage'—the tallest observation platform in Puxi, a staggering 360-degree vantage point poised 320 meters defiantly all up in God's business.
Yes, we did it again! It's another biggest thing! Good times are here again.
Designed and executed to perfection by Studio MH of New York, The Stage observation platform offers only the basic amenities we've come to expect from our best glorious and absurd structures in this city:
It'll impress the hell out of your visiting guests and mercifully occupy an hour of their time;
It is slated to host upscale corporate and fashion events, serving cocktails replete with a DJ to play funky lil' house beats;
And, for the hoi polloi, it offers a profoundly jaw-dropping view to update your social media profile with and contemplate the mad, scrambling existence of humanity by.
Oh, and there is a planned sunset champagne deal. Which, yes, of course.
The view...
Shanghai lifers will remember this view as the VUE—as in, the same one afforded to guests of the Hyatt on the Bund.
Said lifers will also tell you with unearned, slightly off-putting confidence that this is the "best view in Shanghai"—they're not wrong.
Positioned at the north end of the Bund, where the Huangpu River intersects with Suzhou Creek, this vantage point gives you both the Newer Releases in Pudong architecture on the one side and the Classic Hits of the Colonial Era on the other.
To your left you have the Shanghai Tower, the SWFC, and the best building, we would argue, with unearned, slightly off-putting confidence: the Jin Mao Tower.
On the Puxi side you've got your colonial masterworks, really beautiful and stunning, as they forever are, especially if you don't think about them too much.
We see you there, Oriental Pearl TV Tower! You're still our favorite, with your derelict Facebook profile page vibes; you'll be with us forever in our hearts like Zapata's Ladies Night circa 2008.
Beyond these areas, on either side, and north and south, and every which way, are the vast and insane rolling seas of concrete of Shanghai.
It's staggering.
It's colossal.
It's sublime.
It's daunting.
It's exalted.
It's transcendent.
No other way to say it, my friends:
It's high AF.
The experience of visiting...
The Stage is a reference to "the stage" as in "all the world is one," from William Shakespeare's As You Like It, which is a very nice-sounding line that is about the fleeting nature of youth and the inevitable decline into old age and death.
I mean, isn't it? It's pretty fatalistic, right?
Anyway, setting aside fleeting youth, old age, and death, your trip to The Stage is split into "five acts"—exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion—which are five themed areas, each with their own mise en scène, music (from producers Blueman & AppeHYH), lighting, and custom fragrances.
(Yes!)
It's pretty high-concept stuff, but it boils down to a painlessly jaunty and brisk trip up a magical elevator to the ceiling of Shanghai.
Just go right for the climax; you know what to do. It's not your first day.
Here are pictures!
And pictures of people taking pictures!
Dealing with the crowds that are clamoring for their time in the spotlight on The Stage, tickets are available via pre-sale at this QR code.
The view is really worth the trip down, even if you're more on the King Lear end of your life's performance.
Great spot to goad cosmic justice and divine retribution!
Opening Hours
May 1-5
1pm to 10pm
From May 6
Tue-Sun, 3pm to 10pm
Last Admission 9.15pm
Price
Adult: RMB230
Sunset, 5.30-7,30pm: RMB288, includes one sparkling wine, cocktail, or soft drink
1 adult + 1 kid: RMB290
2 adults + 1 kid: RMB450
Student: RMB160
The Stage LG1, SMP Mall, 501 Dongdaming Lu, Hongkou District 虹口区东大名路501号，SMP上海白玉兰广场地下一层
[All images by Toon Photography]
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