The Bund, a well-known waterfront district, lies in Shanghai, China. The Bund is a 1.5-kilometer-long Chinese historical and cultural district located on the shore of the Huangpu River. Here modernity and history are mingled together. This area was designated as the British Concession in the year 1844 (the 24”th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty).
The architecture along the Bund stands as evidence of Shanghai’s past as a major financial and commercial pivot. It is renowned for its iconic skyscraper, featuring a series of historic buildings that once housed the offices of major banks and trading houses during the colonial era. The Bund offers a bird’s eye view of the modern Pudong skyline across the river, with towering skyscrapers, which are a good diversity to the historic architecture on the Bund. The Bund was officially named Zhongshandong 1st Road. In the 34th year of the Republic of China (1945). There are 52 traditional revival buildings with different structures and styles standing on the Bund. Also known as the Bund International Architecture Expo Group. This region has a significant European influence and many of the structures would not be out of place in some of Europe’s renowned capital cities. This street is inspired by Gothic, Neoclassical, Baroque, Romanesque, Art Deco, and Renaissance styles.
Walking along The Bund you can see the historic, colonial buildings and take note of their intricate distinctive designs and details. You will also get a variation of high-class restaurants and cafes along the promenade, with a marvelous view of the river where you can have your breakfast.
Some buildings’ names have been changed in the period time. Here are some:
The Nissin Building is known as the Maritime Terminal Building
The HSBC Building is known as the City Hall Building,
The Huizhong Hotel Building is today the Peace Hotel
The Sassoon Building is the tallest building on The Bund also known as The Peace Hotel. Some of the buildings have been renovated and improved into entertainment and shopping venues. If you have an unquenchable thirst for knowing the history of Shanghai, you should go to The Bund Historical Museum. Here travelers can gather ample history of The Bund is situated under the Monument to the People’s Heroes at the top of the promenade.
Bund’s main attractions for visitors:
Huangpu Park
Huangpu is the first park that Chinese people were allowed to visit, it is the oldest and smallest park in China built in 1886 and known as the “Public Garden”. It was designed in a European-style garden by a Scottish gardener.
There is a history of this park
The park was built in the 7th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1868), On August 8th of 1886 it opened but only for foreigners. This is one of the examples of Chinese humiliation by the Western powers in the 19th and early 20th.
In the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1886), the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau of the Public Concession permitted Chinese people to enter the park with conditions. By the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), the park was completely open to Chinese people, and all restrictions were removed.
Huangpu Park is influenced by the People’s Heroes Memorial Tower. The tower stands at the joining part of the Huangpu River and Suzhou River in the northeast of the park. It is 60 meters high and seems like three waves rising from the river into the sky. It indicates the Opium War, the people’s heroes who died in the May 4th Movement, and the Liberation War. the sculpture “Pujiang Tide” is situated in the flower bed in the south of the garden in the middle in front of the garden gate is a warrior waving a flag, symbolizing the people breaking away from the iron chains of the old society.
The Huangpu Park included a resting pavilion and a tennis court, aimed at the increasing number of foreigners living in Shanghai since the city had become an international trade port in the 1840s.
Waibaidu Bridge
In the world, every great city has its landmark bridge, like Toronto has The Humber Bay Arch Bridge, and London has its Tower Bridge. Are you thinking? what about Shanghai? The honor should go to the centennial Waibaidu Bridge (Garden Bridge) according to many locals. The graceful steel Waibaidu Bridge has remained only the surviving symbol of Shanghai for more than a century. Waibaidu Bridge is the first steel bridge in China. It was originally a wooden bridge built in the 6th year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1856). There is a movable bridge deck in the middle part, which must be hoisted when ships pass by.
In the year 1856, a British businessman named Charles Wills and an American named Edward R. Cunningham and 20 investors provided the finance and constructed the first bridge on Suzhou Creek, It was called Wills’ Bridge. This bridge was made of wood. Since this bridge was built by personal finance, a toll was collected from passengers and cars using it. Even though they didn’t maintain it. By 1870, the Wills Bridge was fragile. Though the bridge is adjacent to Bund Park, the British called it the “Garden Bridge”, while the common people called it the “Waifu Ferry Bridge”. In the following decades, due to mass mispronunciation, it was gradually pronounced as “Waibaidu Bridge”
In October 1873, the Shanghai Municipal Council eliminated the toll. In 1906 The wooden bridge was destroyed, and a new steel bridge was constructed for both trams and automobiles. The British firm Howarth Erskine Ltd designed The Waibadu Bridge. The Shanghai Municipal Council supervised the construction of The Waibadu Bridge with imported steel from England.
Shiliupu
Shiliupu is located in the area between the Huangpu River, Zhonghua Road, and Renmin Road. It is the renowned wharf on the Bund in Shanghai belonged to a history of 150 years. Historically, the south side once extended to Wanyu Wharf Street, making it the water gateway of Shanghai. The wharf was built by the American Qichang Steamship Company in the first year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1862). It was first named Shiliupu Wharf during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi years of the Qing Dynasty. Later it was renamed Nanzhan Wharf, Roosevelt Wharf, Jiangxi Wharf, etc. until it was renamed after liberation. Shiliupu Pier.
The Qing Dynasty organized businesses inside and outside the county to form 16 “pu”, responsible for public security and public affairs. Among them, the 16th shop is the largest “shop”, including the outside of the county’s large and small east gates, extending to Chenghao in the west, the Huangpu River in the east, Xiaodongmen Street in the north and bordering the French Concession, and Wanyu Wharf Street and Wanyu Wharf Street in the south.
After opening the trading of Shanghai In 1843, The Shiliupu still played an important role with a lot of docks and a huge traveler flow. Shiliupu became famous for the wholesale business of traditional local goods. The Shiliupu Tourism Distribution Center and the Huangpu River Cruise Terminal are closely connected. One of the best things to do in Shanghai is to take a cruise along the Huangpu River. The Bund is one of the main starting points for cruises on the water and you will find a variety of tours and trips available. A Cruise along the Huangpu River and get an exclusive view of the Bund and the surrounding areas for the travelers.
The cruise starts from the Bund and will cruise along to view the attractive sights along the Huangpu River such as the Shanghai International Convention Center, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower, the International Finance Center, the Shanghai Center, and many more.
Chen Yi Plaza
Chen Yi Plaza is situated on the Bund of Nanjing East Road, Shanghai. middle of the square there is a statue of Chen Yi the first mayor of Shanghai after New China. It is cast in bronze and is 5.6 meters high. The base is made of red polished granite and is 3.5 meters high. A nice fountain in Chen Yi Square is located to the south of the statue. Its shape is a modern fountain with a square outer circle and the inner circle is oval.
Lover’s wall
The lover’s wall is mainly a flood control wall made of concrete with a length of about 1700 meters from Huangpu Park to Xinkai River. It was constructed on the Huangpu River. The ground of the lover’s wall is paved with 140,000 colorful granite and floor tiles. This sightseeing platform is built on a hollow box-type flood control wall with natural beauty such as breathtaking sunsets, and pristine beaches. This wall is extended to The Pujiang River. A traveler can discover the beauty of this tranquil location and make golden memories with their loved person with the nice view of the lover’s wall.
The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is associated with the Bund and Pudong Lujiazui commercial district and is the first cross-river pedestrian tunnel in Shanghai, China. The Pudong entrance and exit of the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is close to the west side of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The Puxi entrance and exit are located on the north side of Chen Yi Plaza on the Bund. The total length of the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is 646.70 meters. The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel adopts an unmanned automatic control system with 12 sightseeing cars with four transparent walls that can transport tourists to and from both sides of the Pujiang River without interruption. The entrances and exits on both sides of the tunnel are transported by escalators, and the disabled are transported by hydraulic elevators. The transport capacity per hour is Up to 5,000 visitors. Its speed is 3 meters per second. The whole journey only takes 5 minutes. In the tunnel, there are different kinds of strange colors on the inner wall and the halogenic sound effect is mingled with the changing landscape in front of you. It’s like traveling through space and time.
The Statue of Peace was built in 1924, it is known European War Victory Monument and was the largest monument on the Bund after War World I. A statue of the Goddess of Peace was erected at the junction of Aidoya Road (today’s Yan’an East Road) and the Bund. The statue faces west and was built by British, American, and French expatriate groups in Shanghai. The monument was demolished and melted into artillery shells during the Japanese occupation.
The Statue of Peace is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai, the statue faces west and was built by British, American and French expatriate groups in Shanghai. Her left hand was touching a child who had lost his mother in the war; so that he would no longer be hurt; her right hand was about to be placed on the head of a mother who had lost her son, to soothe the deep wounds in her heart.