Locals climb buildings for a prosperous new year
Over 110 families climbed the Watts Gallop International Plaza which features twin towers over 60 meters tall, the tallest structures in northern downtown.
Locals walked to the top of the city's high-rises on Monday morning in a custom that many believe ensures the coming year will be prosperous.
In northern Baoshan District, families from Songnan Town, a former lucrative industrial center in the 1950s, scaled the tallest building in northern downtown to ring in the new year.
Over 110 pairs of parents and children walked up the Watts Gallop International Plaza, which features twin towers over 60 meters in height.
Participants were invited to take part in various games and quizzes about landmark attractions of the town on their way to the top of the building.
The sites discussed include the former factory houses of the city's earliest glassware plant, a motorcycle factory, an iron alloy plant, and a warehouse for China's early exports, all of which have been renovated into museums and creative parks.
"We'd like to invite more visitors to learn about the town's history and cultural features, while encouraging locals to develop a healthier lifestyle," said Jin Yan, an official with the township government.
Participants take part in various games and quizzes about landmark attractions of Songnan Town on their way to the top of the Watts Gallop building.
World's second tallest building no match
In Pudong's Lujiazui area, nearly 100 workers who work from dawn every day were invited to climb Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in the city.
The workers, who come from civil aviation, medical, postal, sanitation, traffic and construction industries, watched the sun rise from the top floor of the 632-meter-tall building, the second tallest in the world after the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai.
They have to get up before sunrise every day to support the orderly operation of the city, the management of the building said. The event aims to send the first blessing of the year to their counterparts from the highest point of the city.
Similar sunrise watching events will be offered to the general public in the future, the management of Shanghai Tower promised.
A participant takes photo of the sunrise from the top of Shanghai Tower on Monday morning. Nearly 100 workers who work from dawn every day were invited to climb the second tallest building in the world.
