Shanghai Exhibition Centre

Shanghai Exhibition Centre
上海展览中心 (in Chinese)
Aerial view of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre.
Former names	Sino-Soviet Friendship Building
Alternative names	Shanghai Exhibition Hall
General information
Architectural style	Stalinist
Location	Shanghai
Current tenants	Shanghai Exhibition Centre
Construction started	May 4, 1954
Completed	March 5, 1955
Client	Municipality of Shanghai
Height	110.4 metres

The Shanghai Exhibition Centre (Chinese: 上海展览中心; pinyin: Shànghǎi Zhǎnlǎn Zhōngxīn) or the Shanghai Exhibition Hall (Chinese: 上海展览馆; pinyin: Shànghǎi Zhǎnlǎn Guǎn; Shanghainese: Zånhae Zuelae Gue) is an exhibition and convention centre in central Shanghai. The building was built in 1955 as the Sino-Soviet Friendship Building^[1] (Chinese: 中苏友好大厦) to commemorate the alliance between China and the Soviet Union, a name by which many locals still refer to the building. Reflecting its original name, the design draws heavily on Russian and Empire style neoclassical architecture with Stalinist neoclassical innovations.

The building is a major landmark in Shanghai. At 93,000 square metres, it is one of the largest integrated building complexes in central Shanghai by footprint. At 110.4 metres (to the top of spire), it was for decades (1955–1988) the tallest building in Shanghai. Its main frontage, an open quadrangle with an elaborate central tower, faces Yan'an Road, today the main east–west artery across central Shanghai, while its secondary façade, a colonnade, faces West Nanjing Road, one of the premier retail and commercial streets of Shanghai.