After the self design plan was announced, the newly built "Yellow River Pearl TV Transmission Tower" in Jinan was affectionately referred to as the "Squid Tower" by netizens due to its unique appearance. The tower is located in the Daqiao cluster of Jinan's new and old kinetic energy conversion starting area, adjacent to the Dasi River system. The planned area is about 4 hectares, with a total construction area of about 100000 square meters and a building height of 350 meters.

Its design concept originates from the "Spring City New Lotus". The lines of the tower are flexible, resembling a lotus flower in bud waiting to bloom; A droplet shaped device is installed at the top of the tower in conjunction with the mast, symbolizing the dewdrops on the initial load. The overall design is agile and light, echoing the urban cultural characteristics of Jinan's "lotus flowers on four sides and willows on three sides", and also symbolizing the vigorous development of the starting area.

However, when the streamlined tower body is combined with the mast, from certain angles, its outline resembles a squid, which quickly sparked online discussions. Although the design itself has nothing to do with squid, this nickname unexpectedly increased public attention to the project.

The design work of the TV tower is led by China Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. In the project, Academician Cui Kai served as the overall supervisor and led core members such as Yang Jinpeng to complete the plan after a 19 month design cycle.

At present, the first phase of Queshan Ecological Culture Zone Expo Park is scheduled to open in July 2025. The TV tower and surrounding core buildings such as science museums and museums are expected to be put into use by 2027. According to the bidding information, the project is currently in the stage of construction drawing review and airport clearance impact assessment, and is expected to officially start construction by the end of the year. As a key implementation project at the municipal level, various preliminary work is steadily advancing.

The total investment of the "Yellow River Pearl TV Transmission Tower" project is about 2.011 billion yuan. Its functional positioning is complex and diverse, covering broadcasting and television transmission, commerce, sightseeing, hotels, catering, exhibitions, etc. It will also simultaneously construct outdoor roads, squares, and comprehensive pipeline supporting facilities.

The TV tower is located in the Queshan Ecological and Cultural Zone, and together with cultural facilities such as Quehua Cultural Park, Yellow River Culture Museum, and Science and Technology Museum, it forms a spatial pattern of "one tower and three museums". Its location is adjacent to the west side of the north-south axis of the area, with a view of the urban sub center of the starting area to the north and overlooking the Yellow River and the old city area of Jinan to the south. After completion, it will play an important hub role in connecting the old and new urban areas. Climbing to the top of the tower, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the magnificent scenery of Qianfo Mountain, CBD architectural complex, Quehua Mountain, and the ninth bend of the Yellow River, known as the "Mountain Spring Lake River City".(This article is from the official website of Jian Dao www.seetao.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website strategy column editor/Yang Beihua