Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

Aside from the "Pearl Tower", Shanghai's #1 architectural landmark (and in my opinion, eyesore which I refuse to show in this blog), there are two amazing buildings in Shanghai's new area of Pudong which are the pride and shine of the city's skyline and the symbol of the new China. These are the Jin Mao Tower, and the Shanghai World Financial Center.

They are the tallest buildings in the city to date, and the WFC even has an observatory on top where,  smog permitting - and that permission is not to be taken for granted - the views are simply spectacular and give you a clear idea of the extent of a city of 23 million.

These stunning buildings stand side by side, and I like to think of them as the King and Queen of China's architecture (even if their occupancy rates are well below capacity thanks to unrealistic rental prices - but that's a different story).

Jin Mao (left) and WFC

These royal buildings, however, are under siege and on the verge of losing their crown. Indeed, a new building - taller than these two - is coming up next door. The Shanghainese are really excited about it. I just hope that the new development will live up to the aesthetic standards set by its immediate neighbours and not those by the Pearl Tower just down the road...

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown