As malls go, Shanghai Joy City Mall on Xizang North Road in Jing’an is pretty cool. What more could you ask from a mall with two shopping towers and an enormous Ferris wheel hanging off the side of it?

It’s worth a trip to Joy City to see Xiaomi’s Flagship Store, spanning three levels of the South block, selling everything from phones to vacuum cleaners, towel driers and a go-kart. But on a recent visit, we discovered The Ramen Noodle Pop-Up Museum and the craziest balloon display I’ve ever seen.

There always seems to be an exhibition of some sort at Joy City. On this occasion, the balloon displays scattered throughout the mall were impressive. A white grand piano sitting in a cloud of white balloons ringed by a wall of silver cube balloons at least 5 metres high. In another part of the mall, waterfalls of white balloons cascaded into a sea of blue surrounding a wooden house structure. What was the purpose of it all? I’m not 100% sure but I’m guessing photo ops.

Intrigued as to what the Ramen Noodle Museum had to offer, we paid 65RMB ($13.50 Aus) to enter and discovered much less a museum and more an experiential marketing ploy. A ‘selfie’ playground so to speak.

We spent over an hour making our way through all the noodle, and not so noodley, inspired rooms. Including a pit full of dried instant noodles you could sink your feet into, life-size snow globes, light displays and mirrored illusions.

The pop-up had over 18 installations designed to fill your social media feed while promoting a brand of noodles, the name of which was lost on us as we couldn’t read the logo or any of the signs!

The girls especially liked the angled room that made us all feel terribly off balance and a little bit ill. Not surprising when you immerse yourself into an optical illusion and let your brain and eyes try to make sense of your skewed surroundings.

We had fun taking loads of crazy pictures, but for 65RMB ($13.50 Aus) I don’t feel this ‘museum’ was as good as the Relieve Stress Museum & Starry Magic Planet. The last installation was a pop-up instant noodle cafe, and we probably needed to sit and slurp a bowl of instant noodles to feel a little more satisfied.

After the noodle museum, I begrudgingly agreed to go on the Sky Ring, an enormous cantilever Ferris wheel jutting out the 7th floor of the North block. The Ferris wheel has 30 fully enclosed pods and hangs over Haining Road giving 360-degree views of the city as the cabins reach the top.

Tickets to the Sky Ring are 80RMB (Aus $16.50) for a single spin (approximately 10 minutes), and as per most attractions in China, entry is free for children under 130cm. You can also pay extra for a set meal and a double spin while eating and taking in views of the Shanghai skyline.

I’ve heard the queues can be quite lengthy to get onto the Sky Ring. Not surprisingly, considering the current situation, there was no queue the day we rode. The Ferris wheel never stops so be prepared to get into a moving cabin. The attendants on the platform will assist you.

Once in the cabin, the girls found a remote control to change the colour of the overhead light. I expect this makes the Ferris wheel pretty to watch from afar at night time and is less for the enjoyment of the people riding it.

My advice would be to ride the Sky Ring at night when the city lights up. We rode the Ferris wheel during the day, and it was hard not to notice all the construction going on in the blocks surrounding the mall. But all in all, we enjoyed the ride, and the 80RMB ticket was worth it to see the smile on the girl’s faces.

In addition to these attractions, the eight-story mall has so much more to offer. I like Joy City because it’s not a carbon copy of all the other malls in Shanghai. There are loads of quirky clothes stores, gift shops, restaurants and cafes. It also has an entire section of workshops in the North mall, where you can try your hand at pottery, leatherwork, learn to paint or make those miniature fuzzy cotton ball animals you’ve been yearning to make.

Shanghai Joy City
298 Xizang North Road
Jing’an, Shanghai
Open Everyday 10:00-22:00
Qufu Road Metro Stop (Line 8 & 12) is across the road

Ramen Noodle Museum
Joy City, North Building
N321, 3rd Floor
Tickets 65RMB
Children free if shorter than 130cm
Pre-purchase tickets on Dianping or purchase at the door using the QR Code. (You will need WeChat or Alipay to pay, as well as your ID/Passport Number.)

Sky Ring
Joy City, North Building
8th Floor
Tickets 80RMB
Children free if shorter than 130cm
Opens at 10:00
Pre-purchase tickets on Dianping or purchase at the ticket machine using WeChat or Alipay.

Xiaomi Flagship Store
Joy City, South Building
Floor 2, S201-17
Open Every Day 10:00 – 22:00