The Bund

Lore & Background

The Bund is a waterfront area and protected historical district in central Shanghai, centered on a section of Zhongshan Road along the western bank of the Huangpu River. This area faces the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in Pudong. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this road, as well as some adjacent areas. Its appearance is defined by a strong European influence, with structures in styles comparable to those of European cities, including Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical, Romanesque, Art Deco, and Renaissance architecture. The buildings are light brownish-grey stone, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The area also contains some of Shanghai's top eateries. Historically, from the 1860s to the 1930s, it was the wealthy center of the foreign establishment in Shanghai, operating as a legally protected treaty port. The Bund lies north of the old, walled city and was initially a British settlement, later combined with the American settlement into the International Settlement in 1863. By the 1940s, it housed the headquarters of many major financial institutions in China, including the "big four" national banks. After the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, many financial institutions moved to Hong Kong in the 1950s, and hotels and clubs were closed or converted. In the late 1970s and 1980s, buildings were gradually returned to their former uses, with government institutions replaced by financial institutions and hotels reopening. A tall levee was built along the riverfront after typhoon-induced floods, raising the embankment about 10 meters above street level. In the 1990s, Zhongshan Road was widened to ten lanes, eliminating most parkland, and ferry wharves connecting the Bund to Pudong were removed. A major reconfiguration from 2008 involved demolishing a section of the Yan'an Road elevated expressway, restoring the century-old Waibaidu Bridge, and reconstructing the roadway in two levels with a new tunnel, widening the landscaped promenade. The Bund fully completed its renovation project on March 28, 2010.

Reader's Guide

The Bund’s significance stems from its history as the dominant financial and commercial hub of East Asia between the 1860s and the 1930s, when it served as the center of foreign power within Shanghai’s treaty port system. Dozens of historical buildings along the Huangpu River once housed banks, trading houses, and consulates from numerous nations, including the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Belgium. By the 1940s, the Bund contained the headquarters of most major financial institutions operating in China, including the “big four” national banks of the Republic of China era. Its architecture is notably European in character, with structures built in Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical, Romanesque, Art Deco, and Renaissance styles, making the area comparable to a European cityscape. Ecologically, the Bund is a waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River, facing the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in Pudong. After the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, many financial institutions moved to Hong Kong in the 1950s, and hotels and clubs were closed or repurposed. Following the Cultural Revolution, economic policy changes in the late 1970s and early 1980s led to the gradual return of buildings to their original functions, with government institutions replaced by financial firms and hotels reopening. A tall levee was constructed along the riverfront after typhoon-induced floods, raising the embankment about 10 meters above street level. In the 1990s, Zhongshan Road was widened to ten lanes, eliminating most parkland, and ferry wharves connecting the Bund to Pudong were removed. A major reconfiguration from 2008 involved demolishing a section of the Yan’an Road elevated expressway, restoring the Waibaidu Bridge, and reconstructing the roadway into two levels with a six-lane tunnel, allowing the waterfront promenade to be widened. The Bund remains a protected historical district and a prominent feature visible from the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Did You Know?

• The term 'bund' was borrowed into English from Hindustani, originally meaning a dyke or embankment.
• The Chinese name for the Bund literally means 'outer bank', distinguishing it from the 'inner bank' adjacent to the old city.