The view across the Huangpu River from the central waterfront — looking east from the Bund promenade — is the defining image of contemporary Shanghai. The Pudong skyline (Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Jin Mao Tower) rising against the sky directly across the river from the 1920s and 1930s colonial buildings on the Bund provides the visual summary of the city's entire compressed history.
The best elevated view of this composition is from the top of the Park Hyatt in the Shanghai World Financial Center or from the Shanghai Tower Observation Deck — both on the Pudong side, looking back at the Bund. The view from the Bund promenade looking east is free and available at any hour; the view from height on the Pudong side costs the observation deck admission.