Every time I visit Shanghai I am drawn to The Bund, one of the most recognisable symbols of this vibrant city.
For the financial capital of booming China with its towering office blocks and frenetic pace, the Bund along the Huangpu River represents an oasis of peace and calm where you can see ordinary residents relaxing, perhaps indulging in a little tai chi, shadow boxing or even a colourful fan dance, while wide eyed visitors from the outer provinces of China have themselves photographed as they wander along the promenade in their groups.
Back in the late 1840s the first British companies set up offices along the banks of the muddy river and The Bund was created – the word deriving from an Anglo-Indian word for embankment along a muddy waterfront. As Shanghai developed as a city of trade The Bund became the centre of elegance with many fine buildings being constructed on the western side of the Bund representing many styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque Classic and Renaissance.
Although many new buildings have sprung up over the years, most of the historic buildings still remain although their use may have changed. Many date from the 1930s after the Nanjing Treaty concluded the First Opium War and Shanghai as one of the ‘treaty ports’ attained an international reputation as the most cosmopolitan, exciting and outrageous city in Asia, the ‘Paris of the East’. It is certainly like that today.
Many of the historic buildings housed financial institutions but over time some changed to other, usually government uses, but nowadays have reverted to their original use as Shanghai once again emerges as a financial hub.
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was possibly the most important bank in Shanghai during the early years of the century (the plaque dated 1923 with a list of titled British gentry as directors is fascinating) but in 1949 became the City Hall. In 1996 the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank took over and has restored the marvellous marble columns and interior, the crystal mirrors and the frescoes that represent the overseas offices of the original owners and the ceiling painted with the signs of the zodiac.
The Bund is only quite short stretching for about 1.5km from around Jinglin Road in the south to the junction of the river with Suzhou Creek in the north. The road alongside the raised promenade (and this has been greatly improved in recent years) is a stretch of the Zhongshan Rd, named after Sun Yat-sen.
promenading on the Bund, Shanghai
Changes to the promenade including the construction of a raised levee bank in the 1990s to prevent flooding have reduced the original parkland although Huangpu Park at the northern end still remains; within the park is the Monument to the People’s Heroes a tall, abstract concrete tower which is a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the Opium Wars.
About half way along the Bund near the intersection with the famous Nanjing Road shopping street stands a statue of Chen Yi, the first Communist mayor of Shanghai. Recently a sightseeing tunnel opened which takes you (for a fee) under the river to the eastern Pudong side.
For many years the Peace Hotel (once called the Cathay) on the corner of Nanjing Road was probably the most famous building in Shanghai as the place where everyone of note gathered to be seen or to hear the famous jazz band. A few years ago it closed but has recently reopened after major renovation as the Fairmont Peace Hotel and I was pleased to see that the superb renovations have returned the hotel to all its former glory – and the jazz band is back in action.
Most visitors come to sightsee along the paved boulevard with its colourful tiles and flower beds. Twenty five years ago the eastern or Pudong side of the Huangpu River was farmland but now it is a skyline dominated by some of the tallest buildings in Shanghai. Particular favourites are the Oriental Pearl TV Tower with its unique steel spheres, the 420m high Jinmao Tower which contains the Grand Hyatt Hotel and the most recent addition of the 492m World Financial Center Tower with its odd shaped ‘hole’ close to the top. All these tall buildings have observation platforms and are worth the entry price – but wait until it is a clear day as often the view is severely restricted by smog (as it can be from The Bund).
smoggy day view of Pudong side from The Bund. Cargo boat goes past, Oriental Peart Tower and World Financial Center building visible
The river is a hive of activity with cargo vessels, tourist ferries (some go out to the mouth of the Huangpu where it joins the Yangtze) and a myriad of local boats.
However it is the joy of strolling along the Bund watching the crowds of people that I find most enjoyable. Sometimes as a foreigner you become a centre of attraction. I have a shaved head and white beard which is definitely not a common combination in China. Recently on a hot summer’s day I was resting on the wall along the Bund and a couple of camera toting locals asked to take my photo; within minutes there was a line of people waiting their turn – perhaps they thought I was someone famous!
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