Shanghai Tallest Tower

Few jobs are more harrowing, or offer better views, than being a construction worker on a Chinese skyscraper. Thanks to a pair of adrenaline-seeking Russian photographers, we now have a vivid picture of what it’s like.

On Wednesday, “urban ninjas” Vadim Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov posted video of themselves climbing to the top of the unfinished 2,100-foot Shanghai Tower, the world’s second-tallest building.

In a post on his blog, Mr. Raskalov said the pair made the climb on Lunar New Year’s day, or Jan. 31, a national holiday in China when security was lighter and most workers were at home. He said it took them roughly two hours to hike up to the 120th floor on foot, after which they climbed a crane mounted on top of the tower.

The video, which is truly dizzying, shows the 20-somethings sneaking into the construction site at night and scaling the building – above the cloud line — seemingly without the aid of safety equipment:

Asked whether developers knew about the stunt, Grace Zhu, the Shanghai Tower’s marketing director, said the construction team had been informed of it and was “looking into some countermeasures.”

China Real Time visited the top of the tower as part of a media tour organized by the developers on a clear and windy day in August, though we didn’t venture up the crane. It took a 10-minute ride on two construction elevators to get to the top, which contained a walkable area roughly the size of two basketball courts. We managed to snap a photo of the view with our smartphone despite hands shaking with fear at the thought of the drop.

The view from the top of the Shanghai Tower in August, shot by a nervous CRT reporter.
The view from the top of the Shanghai Tower in August, shot by a nervous CRT reporter.ESTHER FUNG/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Messrs. Raskalov and Makhorov became famous (or infamous, depending on your view) after scaling the Great Pyramid of Giza roughly a year ago. Criticized by preservationists, Mr. Makhorov later apologized, saying the duo didn’t intend to insult anyone and were “just following the dream.”

In an email, the photographers offered a simple reason for choosing Shanghai for their latest project. “Shanghai Tower is the tallest [under-]construction building in the world. For us it’s enough,” they said.

The Shanghai Tower climb isn’t likely to be as controversial as Giza, even with the added element of danger. After all, armies of Chinese workers routinely climb to similar heights, often with only slightly more in the way of safety measures.

What the workers don’t typically do is publish photos of their work sites, which, based on the images below, is a situation screaming out to be rectified.

A view from the crane atop the Shanghai Tower.
A view from the crane atop the Shanghai Tower.COURTESY OF VITALIY RASKOLOV

Vitaliy Raskalov grips a crane during his climb with Vadim Makhorov to top of the tower.
Vitaliy Raskalov grips a crane during his climb with Vadim Makhorov to top of the tower.COURTESY OF VADIM MAKHOROV

A view of the 1,380-foot Jinmao Tower (left) and the 1,614-foot Shanghai World Financial Center (right).
A view of the 1,380-foot Jinmao Tower (left) and the 1,614-foot Shanghai World Financial Center (right).COURTESY OF VITALIY RASKALOV

See more images from Messrs. Raskalov and Makhorov here.

–Josh Chin and Esther Fung

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