The Bund (Chinese: 外灘; pinyin Wàitān) is a district in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas.
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The name
The word "Bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay, and comes from the Hindi word band. There are numerous sites in India, China, and Japan which are called "bunds". However, "the Bund" as a proper noun almost invariably refers to this particular stretch of embanked riverfront in Shanghai.
History
The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from Britain, France, USA, 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. This was initially a British settlement, later the British and American settlements were combined in the International Settlement. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. The former French Bund, east of the walled city was formerly more a working harbourside.
Architecture and buildings
Stretching 1.5 kilometers, The Bund houses 52 buildings of various architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco (Shanghai has one of the richest collections of Art Deco architectures in the world). From the south, the main buildings are:
- Asia Building (No. 1, The Bund), originally the McBain Building, housed the Shanghai offices of Royal Dutch Shell and Asiatic Petroleum Company.
- Shanghai Club (No. 3, The Bund), which was the principal social club for British nationals in Shanghai.
- Union Building (No. 4, The Bund), housed a number of insurance companies.
- Nissin Building (No. 5, The Bund), housed a Japanese shipping company.
- China Merchants Bank Building (No. 6, The Bund), housed the first Chinese-owned bank in China.
- Russel & Co. Building (No. 9, The Bund), now houses the China Shipping Merchant Company.
- The HSBC Building (No. 12, The Bund), now used by the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, was once the Shanghai headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which failed to reach a deal with the Shanghai government to buy the building again in the 1990s, when the Shanghai government moved out of the building that they had used since the 1950s. The present building was completed in 1923. At the time, it was called "the most luxurious building between the Suez Canal and the Bering Strait". Its famous ceiling mosaics have been fully restored, and can be viewed inside the entrance hall.
- The Customs House (No. 13, The Bund), was built in 1927 on the site of an earlier, traditional Chinese-style customs house. The clock and bell was built in England and in imitation of Big Ben.
- China Bank of Communications Building (No. 14, The Bund), was the last building to be built on the Bund. It now houses the Shanghai Council of Trade Unions.
- Russo-Chinese Bank Building (No. 15, The Bund) is now the Shanghai Foreign Exchange
- North China Daily News Building (No. 17, The Bund) housed the most influential English-language newspaper in Shanghai at the time. Today it houses AIA Insurance.
- Chartered Bank Building (No. 18, The Bund) housed the Shanghai headquarters of the Standard Chartered Bank.
- Palace Hotel (No. 19, The Bund), today forms part of the Peace Hotel.
- Sassoon House (No. 20, The Bund), with the attached Cathay Hotel, was built by Sir Victor Sassoon. It was, and still is today, famous for its jazz band in its cafe. The top floor originally housed Sassoon's private apartment. Today, it forms the other part of the Peace Hotel.
- Bank of China Building (No. 23, The Bund) housed the headquarters of the Bank of China. The stunted appearance of the building is attributed to Sassoon's insistence that no other building on the Bund could rise higher than his.
- Yokohama Specie Bank Building (No. 24, The Bund) housed the Japanese Yokohama Specie Bank.
- Jardine Matheson Building (No. 27, The Bund) housed the then-powerful Jardine Matheson Bank.
- Glen Line Building (No. 2 Beijing Road) today houses the Shanghai Broadcasting Board.
- Banque de l'Indochine Building (No. 29, The Bund) housed the French bank, Banque de l'Indochine.
- Consulate-General of the United Kingdom (No. 33, The Bund) housed the Consulate-General of the United Kingdom. The building is under renovation to be opened as the Peninsula Hotel, Shanghai.
- Broadway Mansions (No. 20, North Suzhou Road) is a hotel.
At the northern end of The Bund, along the riverfront, is Huangpu Park, in which is situated the Monument to the People's Heroes, which is a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the Opium Wars.
The Bund ends at Waibaidu Bridge, which crosses Suzhou Creek.
Miscellaneous
The Bund is arguably one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. In the interest of historical preservation, building heights are restricted in this area.
The Bund was famously featured in the Steven Spielberg movie Empire of the Sun, the first post-WWII American theatrical film made in China.
Some views from the Bund
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Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and Customs House -
The Bund at night -
The Shanghai Custom House building (center), Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building (left).
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From left to right: The Peace Hotel, Bank of China building, and former Yokohama Species Bank. -
The Bund viewed from Oriental Pearl Tower in Pudong -
Entire view of The Bund at night -
The Shanghai Custom House Building, and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank during the day. -
Pudong seen from The Bund
External links
