195-Gigapixel Panorama of Shanghai | From the Oriental Pearl Tower | 360° Gigapixel Panorama
From Shanghai's most iconic landmark, explore Lujiazui and both banks of the Huangpu River in 195 gigapixels.
Description
If you have ever been stunned online by a Shanghai panorama you can zoom into endlessly — not only buildings on both banks of the Huangpu River, but license plates in Lujiazui, visitors inside the Shanghai World Financial Center, even fleeting expressions on the street — you have probably already seen this work.
This is BigPixel's 195-Gigapixel Panorama of Shanghai. Since release, this super panorama of the Magic City had surpassed 210 million visits worldwide by 2020. Many outlets covered its visual impact; far fewer explained how 14,160 photographs became one image. Here is the behind-the-scenes story of that extreme shoot.
A national commission for Expo Milano
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the Shanghai 195-gigapixel panorama captured?
From the outdoor platform of the Oriental Pearl Tower's sixth smaller sphere, about 230 meters above Shanghai, overlooking the Huangpu River, the Bund, and the Lujiazui core — not from one of the three main sphere decks.
Was the Shanghai 195-gigapixel panorama taken by a satellite?
No. It is not satellite or quantum imaging. It was created at the Oriental Pearl Tower with a Canon EOS 5DS R, a 600mm telephoto lens, and 14,160 photographs combined through stitching and image processing.
Why do some people say it was created by a quantum satellite?
Because the final image shows streets, people, and vehicles in extreme detail, online discussion sometimes misattributed it to satellite or quantum technology. It is a ground-based photographic engineering project.
How many photographs were used to create this panorama?
A total of 14,160 high-resolution photographs were captured from three camera positions and merged into a seamless 360-degree panorama at 195 gigapixels.
How does this panorama differ from the Shanghai Tower panorama?
The Oriental Pearl panorama uses 195 gigapixels to focus on Shanghai's iconic core — Lujiazui and both banks of the Huangpu — with denser detail. The Shanghai Tower panorama from 546 meters offers a wider city-scale view, from airports to distant districts. One is the emblematic close-up; the other is the city-wide overview.
Why is this Shanghai panorama historically important?
It preserves Shanghai's landmark core around May 2015 and was created for the city's international image presentation during Expo Milano 2015, becoming a major case of urban digital imagery.
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