Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Wild Animal Park were crowned as two of China's top-grade scenic spot, according to a list today published on the official Website of the country's tourism watchdog.

 

Among scores of China's tourist attractions, the two Shanghai spots are included in the first batch of five-A graded scenic spots.

 

The winners on the list have advantages in 12 aspects, including traffic, security, sanitation, postal service, shopping, comprehensive administration and protection of resource and environment.

 

The number of tourists is the key standard when evaluating a five-A grade scenic spot. Every five-A applicant must have received 600,000 visitors annually, including at least 50,000 from overseas visitors, in each of the past three years.

 

The 468-meter high Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the world's third tallest TV and radio tower, and is located in the heart of the city' Lujiazui financial district in Pudong.

 

Serving the Shanghai area with more than nine television channels and upwards of 10 FM radio channels, the tower has a science fantasy exhibition on the ground floor. A hotel with twenty-five elegant rooms and lounges occupies its five smaller spheres. Tourists may have their dinner at the top "pearl" of the tower where a rotating restaurant will bring them a panoramic sightseeing over the city.

 

Shanghai Wild Animal Park, a 153-hectare zoo in the city's Nanhui District, has over 200 rare species and over 10,000 animals from all over the world, such as giraffes, zebras, white rhinoceros and hunting leopards.

 

The park is divided into two areas: one for walking, and the other is accessible via buses only. The walking area allows a close look at many animals on foot, while the buses take tourists among zebras, yaks, bears, deer, elephants, and even lions and tigers.

 

China has 671 four-A tourism spots.

 

(Shanghai Daily May 25, 2007)