The Bund

One of Shanghai’s most famous sites, The Bund has been one of the symbols of Shanghai for over a century. Located on a one mile stretch of Zhongshan Road, overlooking the Huangpu River, The Bund was once the financial center of Shanghai and its architecture displays the architecture of the western banks and trading houses that were based there. There are dozens of historical buildings located on The Bund.

The Name
The word “Bund”, comes from the Hindi word Band, which means an embankment and since The Bund is located on the embanked riverfront of the Huangpu River, it has this name.

History
The Area was originally a British settlement and eventually the British and American settlements were combined in the area known as the International Settlement. The end of the 19th century saw the area becoming a major financial center in Eastern Asia. By the first quarter of the 20th century, The Bund was home to the headquarters of most of the major financial institutions in China.

Architecture
The Bund is home to 52 historic buildings in various architectural styles including: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco. The buildings were designed and built by western architects and used western architectural construction methods and materials making the buildings uniquely western.