The Bund (Wai Tan)--Shanghai 10/20/06

Shanghai is divided by the Huangpu River into Shanghai East (Pudong) and West (Puxi). The Bund (which means the Embankment) refers to Shanghai's famous waterfront running along the western shore of the river. It was the chief shipping, trading, and financial district of the colonialists after the British and other Western nations opened up the city following the First Opium War in 1842. Trade was in silk, tea, and opium, and Shanghai had a worldwide monopoly on these commodities in the late 19th century. During the 1920s and 1930s the great buildings that line the river were built, functioning as foreign banks, the Customs House, luxury hotels, private clubs, and embassies.



The Bund Promenade provides a pedestrian-only walkway stretching one mile along the river shore. Mornings on the promenade feature local workers practicing tai chi and other traditional exercises and most of the day (and night) it is crowded with international and Chinese tourists.



Further down the Bund Promenade.



The Bund, as seen from the Huangpu River.



1920s era building on the Bund.



View from the Bund.



The above photo was taken from the roof-top balcony of New Heights restaurant located at 3 on the Bund. Several buildings along this strip offer spectacular roof-top views of the river and the Pudong District.



Derek and Stacey at New Heights restaurant at 3 on the Bund.



Street-level on the Bund.



A view of the street separating the Bund's colonial buildings from the Bund Promenade, located on the other side of the trees. Just beyond that is the Huangpu River, and the skyscrapers of the Pudong District.