The Bund - Explore Shanghai - page 57

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THE BUND
The Bund has been Shanghai's signature sight for over a century.
This half-day stroll among its grand, early 20th-century European
buildings gives a fascinating insight into the city's Concession-era
past.
DISTANCE: 1.5km (1 mile)
TIME: A half-day
START: Huangpu Park
END: Gutzlaff Signal Tower
POINTS TO NOTE: To reach the starting point, take a taxi to Huang-
pu Park (Huangpu Gongyuan) or the metro to Nanjing East Road
(Nanjing Dong Lu), then it's about a 15-minute walk. This tour can be
combined with the Behind the Bund route (for more information, click
here ) for an in-depth look at the area.
Site of the first foreign settlement in Shanghai, the fabled Bund was once home to the most
important banks and trading companies in the Far East. Its domes and towers formed the first
glimpse of the city for arrivals in the pre-flight age, and the Bund so defined Shanghai that the
People's Liberation Army marched its length when they entered the city in 1949. Even its
name is a legacy of the British Empire, from the Hindi band (river embankment). However, it's
only foreigners who call this historic strip the Bund. For generations, locals have known it as
Waitan ('outer shore'); the prosaic name of the street itself is Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu (Zhong-
shan Road East, section one). For some Chinese, the Bund is a reminder of a shameful cen-
tury of foreign domination (1843-1943), but this historic strip has now entered a new golden
age as a prime dining, entertainment and shopping hub.