Thousands of colorful lights will turn the Pudong New Area into the beacon of the city by the end of this month.

The "Peace Theme" light show along the Huangpu River will feature the brightest lights in Shanghai, officials from the Shanghai Public Sanitation Bureau said.

The eight-minute show will use 5,000 colorful searchlights to light up the sky every half hour between 7pm and 11pm, officials said.

The light show will also herald important events in the city.

Offices, residential buildings and parks in Pudong will also be decorated with lights.

City officials plan to decorate Century Avenue and Lujiazui Road W. in Pudong by hanging lights in the trees that line the streets.

The lights will be controlled by computer, which will allow them to change color.

Officials said the tree lights will not strain the power grid because they use LED technology to save energy.