the
Bund of Shanghai
 As
you walk through Shanghai, it may feel as
though you are entering a fair of world
architecture or an art gallery of human
civilization. In fact, Shanghai is unique
among world cities in its variety of architectural
styles. This variety reflects the wisdom
and efforts of architects, engineers, and
workers--both foreign and domestic--and
is a precious legacy to the world.
Take a walk along the
Bund (Zhongshan Road), once the most famous
street in Asia. It is a tree-lined promenade
along the Huangpu River. The major firms
of the Far East had their headquarters in
the buildings facing the river. First among
them is the former Hong Kong and Shanghai
Bank, which after 1949 was used as the city
Communist Party Headquarters. It is now
the home of the Shanghai Pudong Development
Bank. One of the conditions for the bank
to move to this building was that they restore
it to its original grandeur, which apparently
was quite grand. (Note that in 1992 the
waterfront was raised for anti-flooding
purposes and to provide more room for visitors
to take photographs of each other!)
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