A DISTINCTIVE feature of the Shanghai skyline, the Oriental Pearl Television Tower is now earning praise for more than aesthetic reasons.
Earnings from entrance tickets to the television tower for the year are expected to reach 70 million yuan (about HK$65.1 million) and account for almost 50 per cent of this year's profit for the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Co.
General manager Shen Yafei said profit for the year was 135 million yuan, dominated by the 50 yuan entrance fee to the 10 billion yuan tower. Mr Shen said since its opening at the end of last year, 1.6 million people visited the 460 metre tower, the tallest in Asia.
He said plans included added visitor facilities, including a restaurant and a 20-room hotel.
Shanghai Oriental was spun off as a corporation from the Shanghai Bureau of Radio and Television in 1992 to raise funds for the tower that dominates the Pudong New Area, China's premier industrial development zone.
In February last year, the company issued A shares for domestic investors and was listed on the Shanghai exchange.