The Century Avenue in Pudong, Shanghai, completed on April 18, presents the world's best city sight. Like a waterfall pouring down from the cloud-kissing Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Century Avenue runs across the canyon of hundreds of high buildings, clusters together the four functional areas of finance, business, trade and administration in the Lujiazui Financial and Trading District and finally falls into and merges with the Century Park, the largest green sea in Shanghai.
The 5,000-meter-long and 100-mter-wide thoroughfare is disposed in the unique non-symmetry way of the world. Its north sidewalk is 44.5 meters in width and planted with four rows of camphor trees and ginkgoes while the south sidewalk is only 24.5 meters in width and grown with two rows of camphor trees.
The two-way, eight-lane motor way is 31 meters wide with its centerline deviating southward by 10 meters. The fantastic anti-traditional design balances the condition that buildings on the south side are outweighing those on the north, showing the originality of designers. It is also rare that its pavement is twice as large as the motor way.
Lingering on the 44.5-meter-wide sidewalk, you can enjoy the sight of eight botanical gardens, each stretching 180 meters long and 20 meters wide. Sculptures on the Century Avenue are all about time, expressing the "cross-century" conception. The sculptures of profound implication, with bookstores, telephone booths, posts, benches, rails and awnings built specially for the road as well as the colorful entrances of the subway and those five rows of street lamps in the shape of tennis racket all contribute to the romantic atmosphere of the Century Avenue.
