Shanghai
The Bund
The Bund on a rainy September morning with The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building,
built in 1923 and The Customs House built in 1927, in the distance, on the right.
The Bund or Waitan a waterfront area in central Shanghai that was the financial centre of the former Shanghai International Settlement. From the 1860s to the 1930s it was a legally protected treaty port and its status is reflected in its eclectic architecture including a large number of Art Deco buildings. It remained a commercial and financial centre for the Republic of China until the communist takeover when the office buildings, hotels and other relics of the pre-revolutionary era were converted to other uses or, in the case of monuments, removed. As China reopened to the world in the late 1970's and 1980's, commercial activity returned to the Bund. A high embankment was built along the river to alleviate frequent flooding as a result of typhoons. Between 2008 and 2010 a landscaped promenade was built as six lanes of waterside traffic were diverted to an underground tunnel.
The entrance to the Customs House at night.
The "Shanghai Bull" or the "Bund Bull," derived from Arturo Di
Modica's "Charging Bull" of Wall Street, was unveiled on May 15, 2010.
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