Places of Interest

Huangpu Park, 1 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, at the northern end of the Bund, is a pleasant place for a stroll and gives views of both the Bund and Pudong. The park was constructed by the British and allegedly used to have a sign reading “No dogs or Chinese,” which is paid tribute to in the Bruce Lee movie Fist of Fury. Although the story probably isn’t true, the Chinese certainly weren’t allowed in (unless they worked for a foreigner) until 1928, 60 years after the park was first opened. These days it’s a popular spot for morning tai chi and inside the park you’ll find an obelisk-like monument to the “Heroes of the People,” beneath which lies the tiny Bund Historical Museum (daily 9 am-4 pm; free). The museum traces the history of the Bund as a commercial center and is worth a quick stop before you visit the buildings themselves. South of the park you’ll see a large statue, which vaguely resembles Chairman Mao, but is actually Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai.

Customs House, at 13 Zhongshan Dongyi Lu (Henan Zhong Lu subway), is an architectural masterpiece that is also one of the most photographed buildings along the Bund, and is easily spotted due to its large bell tower. It still serves as Shanghai’s Customs House and the public is prohibited from entering, although it is worth a walk past the main entrance, since you can see a number of shipping mosaics in the entrance hall. During the Cultural Revolution, the building’s bell (nicknamed Big Qing) was dismantled and replaced by loud speakers, blaring out a recorded version of the party anthem. In 1986, the bell was returned and the clock has chimed ever since, although it’s often drowned out by the streams of traffic flowing through downtown Shanghai.

Former Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, at 12 Zhongshan Dongyi Lu, is the finest piece of architecture along the Bund and is well worth a closer look. The building currently houses the Pudong Development Bank, but was originally built by the British in 1921 as the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank. The architects (Palmer & Turner) were given a singular directive for their design – to dominate the skyline of the Bund. But little did they know that less than 100 years later Pudong would get to dominate the skyline from the Bund! In 1949 the bank was closed and the building was used as Communist party offices. Its dome was painted over in thick white paint to conceal the ‘inappropriate’ mosaics. They remained covered throughout the Cultural Revolution and were consequently ignored by the Red Guards and forgotten in later years, only being rediscovered in 1997. You can visit the inside of the building during office hours and see these Italian mosaics dating back to the 1920s and depicting scenes from all cities around the globe that housed a Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank at that time. Bangkok, Calcutta, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo are all represented, with the Roman goddess of abundance, Ceres, set in the center of them all.

Bund Museum at Zhongshan Dongyi Lu: You can’t miss this small tower, uncomfortably surrounded by traffic, at the southern end of the Bund, which has been used to track typhoons and meteorological activities around the Huangpu River since 1884. Downstairs, you’ll find a museum about the Bund’s most famous buildings and there are a number of old photographs and maps of the area.