Travel in China
Shanghai's signature promenade: 52 buildings from the 1920s banking era facing the futuristic skyline of Lujiazui across the Huangpu River.
The Bund (Waitan) is Shanghai's waterfront face - a 1.5-kilometre stretch of colonial-era buildings along the west bank of the Huangpu River. Built between the 1890s and 1930s when Shanghai was the 'Paris of the East', these 52 structures in Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Art Deco and Beaux-Arts styles housed the great banks, trading houses and insurance companies of the era.
Across the river, the Pudong skyline tells the other half of the story: the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Shanghai Tower - four decades of hyper-growth compressed into a single view. The Bund's elevated promenade is the best place to see both eras simultaneously.
The Bund is most magical at dusk, when the colonial facades are illuminated and the Pudong towers begin their light show. The nightly illumination (19:00-22:00 in summer) turns the river into a ribbon of reflected colour. A Huangpu River cruise or the 2-RMB commuter ferry both offer water-level perspectives.
Highlights
The 1920s Architecture
52 colonial buildings in a dozen styles - from the Customs House clock tower to the domed former HSBC Building.
The Pudong Skyline View
The Oriental Pearl, Jin Mao, SWFC and Shanghai Tower across the river.
Night Illumination
Both banks lit simultaneously after dusk - the signature Shanghai experience.
The Elevated Promenade
A raised waterfront walkway offering unobstructed river views.
Huangpu River Cruise
50-minute evening cruises past both illuminated banks.
Nanjing East Road
China's busiest pedestrian shopping street, running inland from the Bund.
Photo Gallery
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