The Bund in Shanghai

Wednesday, 5 June 2019 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Bimal Mehta/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Bimal Mehta/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Bund or Waitan is a waterfront area in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East No.1 Zhongshan Road) within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The area along the river faces the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in the Pudong District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. Building heights are restricted in the area. The Bund houses 52 buildings of various architectural styles, generally Eclecticist, but with some buildings displaying predominantly Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival, Baroque Revival, Neo-Classical or Beaux-Arts styles, and a number in Art Deco style (Shanghai has one of the richest collections of Art Deco architecture in the world).

The word bund (bunding) means an embankment or an embanked quay. The word comes from the Persian word band, through Hindustani, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms “bind”, “bond” and “band”, and the German word “Bund”). Mumbai’s Apollo Bunder and city names like Bandar Abbas and Banda Aceh share the same etymology. There are numerous sites in India, China, and Japan that are called “bunds” (e.g., the Yokohama Bund). However, “The Bund”, without qualification to location, usually refers to this stretch of embanked riverfront in Shanghai. The Chinese name for the Bund is unrelated in meaning: it means literally the “outer bank“, referring to the Huangpu River, because this part of the riverfront was located farther downstream than the “inner bank” area adjacent to the old walled city of Shanghai.

The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Belgium, as well as the consulates of Russia and Britain, a newspaper, the Shanghai Club and the Masonic Club. The Bund lies north of the old, walled city of Shanghai. It was initially a British settlement; later the British and American settlements were combined in the International Settlement. Magnificent commercial buildings in the Beaux Arts style sprang up in the years around the turn of the 20th century as the Bund developed into a major financial center of east Asia. Directly to the south, and just northeast of the old walled city, the former French Bund (the quai de France, part of the Shanghai French Concession) was of comparable size to the Bund but functioned more as a working harbourside.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank built in 1923 and The Customs House built in 1927 © Peter K Burian/cc-by-4.0 © Peter K Burian/cc-by-4.0 © flickr.com - tab2_dawa/cc-by-2.0 © Daniel Case/cc-by-sa-3.0 © Miguel A. Monjas/cc-by-sa-3.0 © Bimal Mehta/cc-by-sa-4.0 River Cruise on Huangpu River © Peter K Burian/cc-by-sa-4.0
<
>
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank built in 1923 and The Customs House built in 1927 © Peter K Burian/cc-by-4.0
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the thawing of economic policy in the People’s Republic of China, buildings on the Bund were gradually returned to their former uses. Government institutions were moved out in favour of financial institutions, while hotels resumed trading as such. Also during this period, a series of floods caused by typhoons motivated the municipal government to construct a tall levee along the riverfront, with the result that the embankment now stands some 10 metres higher than street level. The Bunds revitalization began in 1986 with a new promenade by the Dutch Architect Paulus Snoeren and has dramatically changed the streetscape of the Bund. In the 1990s, Zhongshan Road (named after Sun Yat-sen), the road on which the Bund is centred, was widened to ten lanes. As a result, most of the parkland which had existed along the road disappeared. Also in this period, the ferry wharves connecting the Bund and Pudong, which had served the area’s original purpose, were removed. A number of pleasure cruises still operate from some nearby wharves. In the 1990s, the Shanghai government attempted to promote an extended concept of the Bund to boost tourism, and land value in nearby areas, as well as to reconcile the promotion of “colonial relics” with the Socialist ideology. In its expanded form, the term “Bund” (as “New Bund” or “Northern Bund”) was used to refer to areas south of the Yan’an Road, and a stretch of riverfront north of the Suzhou River (Zhabei). Such use of the term, however, remains rare outside of tourism literature.

From 2008, a major reconfiguration of traffic flow along the Bund was carried out. The first stage of the plan involved the southern end of the Bund, and saw the demolition of a section of the Yan’an Road elevated expressway, including removal of the large elevated expressway exit structure that formerly dominated the confluence of Yan’an Road and the Bund. A second phase involved the year-long restoration of the century-old Waibaidu Bridge at the northern end of the Bund. In a third stage, the former 10-lane Bund roadway was reconstructed in two levels, with six lanes carried in a new tunnel. The vacated road space was used to widen the landscaped promenade along the waterfront. The new concrete bridge that was built in 1991 to relieve traffic on Waibaidu Bridge was rendered obsolete by the new double-levelled roadway, and demolished. The Bund was reopened to the public on Sunday 28 March 2010 after restoration for the 2010 Expo. The bund is one of the most prominent features when viewed from the Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong and its observation deck on the 100th floor.

The Bund stretches one mile (1.6 km) along the bank of the Huangpu River. Traditionally, the Bund begins at Yan’an Road (formerly Edward VII Avenue) in the south and ends at Waibaidu Bridge (formerly Garden Bridge) in the north, which crosses Suzhou Creek. The Bund centres on a stretch of the Zhongshan Road, named after Sun Yat-sen. Zhongshan Road is a largely circular road which formed the traditional conceptual boundary of Shanghai city “proper”. To the west of this stretch of the road stands some 52 buildings of various Western classical and modern styles which is the main feature of the Bund (Architecture and buildings). To the east of the road was formerly a stretch of parkland culminating at Huangpu Park. (This park is the site of the infamous sign reported to have proclaimed “no dogs or Chinese“, although this exact wording never existed. Further information, including an image of the sign, can be found at the article on Huangpu Park.) This area is now much reduced due to the expansion of Zhongshan Road. Further east is a tall levee, constructed in the 1990s to ward off flood waters. The construction of this high wall has dramatically changed the appearance of the Bund. Near the Nanjing Road intersection stands what is currently the only bronze statue along the Bund. It is a statue of Chen Yi, the first Communist mayor of Shanghai. At the northern end of The Bund, along the riverfront, is Huangpu Park, in which is situated the Monument to the People’s Heroes – a tall, abstract concrete tower which is a memorial for those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the First Opium War.

Read more on Wikivoyage The Bund and Wikipedia The Bund (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Yokohama Landmark Tower in Japan

Yokohama Landmark Tower in Japan

[caption id="attachment_239602" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Nippon Maru tallship in front of the Yokohama Landmark Tower © flickr.com - ken H/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Yokohama Landmark Tower (Yokohama Randomāku Tawā) is the third tallest building and fifth tallest structure in Japan, standing 296.3 m (972 ft) high. Until surpassed by Abeno Harukas in 2014, it stood as the tallest building in Japan. It is located in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama city, next to the Yokohama Museum of Art. ...

[ read more ]

Christiansø in the Baltic Sea

Christiansø in the Baltic Sea

[caption id="attachment_150636" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Christiansø Harbour © Arne Møller Jensen/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Ertholmene, generally called Christiansø, is a small archipelago situated approximately 18 km northeast of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Its permanent population is at around 100 and its area is 39 hectares (0.39 km2). Ertholmene belongs to Denmark and has the country's easternmost point. Ertholmene consists of three main islands, Christiansø (named after King Christian V), F...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Bhutan - Trongsa

Theme Week Bhutan - Trongsa

[caption id="attachment_221403" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Trongsa © flickr.com - Thomas Wanhoff/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Trongsa, previously Tongsa, is a Thromde or town, and the capital of Trongsa District in central Bhutan. The name means "new village" in Dzongkha. The first temple was built in 1543 by the Drukpa lama Ngagi Wangchuck, who was the great-grandfather of Ngawang Namgyal, Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the unifier of Bhutan. Chökhor Raptentse Dzong (Trongsa Dzong) which was built in 1644, used t...

[ read more ]

The Argentinian sail training ship A.R.A. Libertad

The Argentinian sail training ship A.R.A. Libertad

[caption id="attachment_153004" align="aligncenter" width="590"] ARA Libertad at Tybee Island, USA © U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Jonas N. Jordan[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]ARA Libertad (Q-2) is a tall ship which serves as a school ship in the Argentine Navy. She was built in the 1950s at the Río Santiago Shipyard near La Plata, Argentina. Her maiden voyage was in 1962, and she continues to be a school ship with yearly instruction voyages for the graduating naval cadets. Her home port is Buenos Aires. Libertad won the...

[ read more ]

Theme Week North Korea - Sinuiju

Theme Week North Korea - Sinuiju

[caption id="attachment_218623" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Aerial view of Downtown Sinuiju with Sino-North Korean Friendship Bridge as seen from Dandong in China© Baycrest/cc-by-sa-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Sinŭiju (known before 1925 in English as Yeng Byen City) is a city in North Korea which faces Dandong, China across the international border of the Yalu River. It is the capital of North P'yŏngan province. Part of the city is included in the Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region, which was established in 2002 to...

[ read more ]

Altes Land, the largest contiguous fruit-producing region in Central Europe

Altes Land, the largest contiguous fruit-producing region in Central Europe

[caption id="attachment_153378" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Steinkirchen © Christoph Matthias Siebenborn/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Altes Land is an area of reclaimed marshland straddling parts of Lower Saxony and Hamburg. The region is situated downstream from Hamburg on the southwestern riverside of the Elbe around the towns of Stade, Buxtehude, Jork and Lühe. In Hamburg it includes the quarters of Neuenfelde, Cranz, Francop and Finkenwerder. The region – the biggest contiguous fruit-producing regi...

[ read more ]

Neuengamme in the Vierlanden

Neuengamme in the Vierlanden

[caption id="attachment_153380" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Pincerno/cc-by-sa-3.0-de[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Neuengamme is a quarter of Hamburg, located in the Bergedorf borough, near the river Dove Elbe (a tributary of the river Elbe). In this rural quarter, part of the Vierlanden,consisting of the villages Curslack, Kirchwerder, Neuengamme and Altengamme, the population is at 3,500. Neuengamme is located in the southeastern part of Hamburg. In 2007 the quarter had a total area of 18.6 km². Agriculture began ...

[ read more ]

Colchester in Essex is UK's oldest city

Colchester in Essex is UK's oldest city

[caption id="attachment_153932" align="aligncenter" width="590"] High Street © colchesterguide.co.uk[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England. At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the oldest recorded Roman town in Britain, Colchester claims to be the oldest town in Britain. It was for a time the ...

[ read more ]

The Kingdom Centre in Riyadh

The Kingdom Centre in Riyadh

[caption id="attachment_28195" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Riyadh Skyline © Muhaidib[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Kingdom Centre is a 65-storey, 302.3 m (992 ft) skyscraper in Riyadh. It is the third tallest skyscraper in the country after the Abraj Al Bait Towers and the Burj Rafal, and is the world's third tallest building with a hole after the Shanghai World Financial Center and Tuntex Sky Tower. Besides the shopping mall, Kingdom Tower contains the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh and apartments. There is a 56 m (184 ft)...

[ read more ]

Parliament Hill in Ottawa

Parliament Hill in Ottawa

[caption id="attachment_214702" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Coolcaesar/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings is the home of the Parliament of Canada and has architectural elements of national symbolic importance. Parliament Hill attracts approximately 3 million visitors each year. Law enforcement on Pa...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
Sea water pool © John Jason Junior/cc-by-sa-3.0
Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes

The Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc is a resort hotel in Antibes on the French Riviera. Built in 1869 as a private...

in Tallinn © Pjotr Mahhonin/cc-by-sa-4.0
The Nautica

MS Nautica is a cruise ship, built for Renaissance cruises as part of their R class. Nautica is now owned...

Theresa l. Kaufmann Auditorium © Yair Haklai/cc-by-sa-3.0
92Y on the Upper East Side of Manhattan

92nd Street Y (92Y) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New...

Schließen