In 1843, when Shanghai was opened, the barren beach on the banks of the Pujiang River gradually became the source of power for the evolution of modern Shanghai, and today the Bund is regarded as the soul symbol of Shanghai. In the eyes of tourists, the dense Western-style buildings of the Bund are an unsurpassable urban streetscape.
Most of the Bund buildings were completed in the 1920s and 1930s, and are located between Yan'an East Road and Waibaidu Bridge, stretching for more than 1 kilometer. Originally a pidgin river, Yan'an East Road was also the boundary between the British and French concessions, and it was only in 1915 that the river was filled in and named Aidoya Road. We recommend taking the northbound route and using it as a starting point for your journey.
Overlooking the Bund near Yan'an East Road, there are many photos and oil paintings in the Shanghai History Museum showing the same perspective. Attentive viewers may notice that the Bund now seems to be "missing" a statue of the Victory in Europe, a monument to the victory of the European War cast in 1924, which was demolished during the Japanese occupation and eventually returned to the British Consulate, but there is little chance of recreating it.
Over the decades, the Bund may seem like little has changed, but in fact, it has gone through a sea of vicissitudes, and each building has a rich history. It is recommended to know in advance, which is convenient for in-depth tours of the Bund and makes the itinerary fuller. The old Bund mansions are now mostly hotels, financial headquarters, and restaurants, and the beauty of the building façade is self-evident, and the interior decoration industry is very luxurious, and many "the best in Shanghai" and "the best in China" have also been born. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel is a typical example, the building was originally the Shanghai General Assembly Building, and the length of the lounge bar is more than 30 meters, which is very rare. The first KFC in Shanghai was born here. In 2011, the building was renovated, the bar was restored, and the interior decoration was restored.
The dark grey building on the north side of the hotel has a lot of origins, and the building was completed in 1912 and designed and built by the famous Gonghe & Co. Gonghe started with this and opened the market in Shanghai. About 1/3 of the existing old buildings on the Bund were built by Gonghe & Co., and the most exquisite works are the Peace Hotel, the Jianghaiguan Building, and the headquarters of the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. It is worth mentioning that after the withdrawal from Shanghai, Gonghe & Co. left a strong mark in Central, Hong Kong, but now it has "quietly" returned to Shanghai, and Raffles City and Xintiandi are all associated with it.
Six on the Bund bears a slight resemblance to the small merchant buildings on the south side of Pudong Development and is one of the few buildings on the Bund with angular spires. The two buildings are indeed related, and their owners are Sheng Xuanhuai, the famous foreign minister of the late Qing Dynasty, and Sheng's boss is the more famous Li Hongzhang, who founded the first steamship company and the first bank in modern China on the Bund.
The Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Building, formerly owned by HSBC, is one of the most ambitious buildings on the Bund. This majestic behemoth covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters, was once the largest bank building in the Far East, and its interior is also very elegant, the stone pillars of the hall are imported from Italy, all made of whole marble, and the octagonal foyer dome is dazzling like a temple, equipped with Greek gods such as Apollo and Artemis.
Located in the center of the Bund Street, the Jianghaiguan Building is one of Shanghai's most famous landmarks. The most famous is the giant clock on the rooftop, designed and manufactured by Whitchurch, which plays the Westminster melody every moment, and was known as the first in the Far East and the third in the world when it was completed. The giant clock needs to be wound 3 times a week, and it takes about 1 hour for 4 people to operate each time, and it has been changed to electric.
The Peace Hotel next to Nanjing East Road is worth visiting, there is a museum on the second floor of the hotel, and the hotel design sketches, old photos, and celebrity anecdotes are all displayed, and its space is not large, and the theme of the exhibits is clear. In addition to the restaurant lobby, you can also relax by the window at Victor's Dessert Shop on the first floor. It is worth mentioning that the south building of the Peace Hotel opposite Nanjing East Road was originally the Huizhong Hotel, where Sun Yat-sen held a banquet and Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Meiling got engaged.
The north side of the Peace Hotel is the Bank of China, its original owner is the Daqing Bank, and the building was designed and built by Gonghe & Co. and Chinese designers, which is also the only building on the Bund designed by Chinese people. There is a free museum of the history of the bank, which must be booked in advance. In addition, all banks on the Bund are open to the public and can be visited during their business hours.
Waibaidu Bridge is the terminus of the Bund, and its appearance is not unfamiliar because it often appears in martial arts films set against the backdrop of the Anti-Japanese War. This is the end of your trip, or you can wait for night to fall and return to the 16th Pu Pier to enjoy the beauty of the Bund again.
