上海在缩短与国际大都市硬件上的时差的成绩还体现在城市天际线的高度上。1932年，24层的上海国际饭店建成，当时号称远东第一高楼，并在50年内保持着上海第一高楼的身份，直到——深圳超过了它，北京超过了它，上海自身以几千座摩天建筑超过了它。任何一座最高建筑最多只能“各领高度三五年”，然后被更高的建筑取代，这种建筑的宿命与城市努力缩短国际时差的动机是一致的。《上海时差》

　　译文：Shanghai’s progress in shorten the distance in infrastructures with the other metropolis can also be displayed in its high building. Shanghai International Hotel, a 24-stored-building ranking 1st in height in the Far East at that time, remained the highest building in Shanghai for 50 years. Later, it was surpassed by those high buildings in Shenzhen and Beijing, and similarly by the thousands of skyscrapers in Shanghai. Today, any building can only enjoy its fame of being the highest one for about 3-5 years, and then will be replaced by some other higher as the highest ones. Consequently, that fact makes endless the efforts made by the city to reduce its differences with the other cities.