Editor's note: We've been big fans of climbing Lupu Bridge since back in the day when we used to climb up there at night...that was BEFORE they posted guards on the bridge, who now take you down to the police station for questioning when you try to climb at night.  Yes, a number of us found out the hard way!! Our advice for all you lonely stoners: climb during the day, pay your 80 RMB. And enjoy Edna's story....



                                                                     Photo by Edna Zhou
 

Since the opening of Shanghai Climb three years ago, those city residents and tourists without a crippling fear of heights have had an opportunity to gaze upon Shanghai from the top of the Lupu Bridge, which connects Luwan and Pudong districts over the Huangpu River.

We went to check it out this past weekend, and after a confused cab driver first tried to take us simply over the bridge, we found its base at the edge of Luban Road. We paid 80 RMB for the entrance ticket, checked in any bags that couldn't be worn over the shoulder (as a safety measure), and were escorted up an elevator to the main gate of the bridge.

Once we walked over to the actual arch, waving past Haibao on the way, we ascended 100 meters above the bridge, over 367 steps, until we reached the viewing platform at the top. The basketball-court-sized area provided an obstructed view of the Shanghai skyline, and the buildings from People Square to Xujiahui to the Bund were all easily distinguishable. There weren't any safety precautions on the platform as far as we could tell, though there was a very smile-y bridge employee on deck to answer any bridge-related questions we could think of. Along the Pudong side, we also noticed a massive red pavilion and other funny-looking buildings under construction; we certainly have no idea what that's about.

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