the west bank
The Bund from the water: what lines the west bank
A mile of waterfront, about 52 buildings in a row, and a view that changes once you are on the river.
Reserve a Huangpu night cruise ↗The Bund in brief
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | About 1.6 km (one mile) of waterfront |
| Buildings | Some 52, in a row along Zhongshan Road |
| Styles | Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical, Romanesque, Art Deco and Renaissance influences |
| Faces | Lujiazui, across the river in Pudong |
| Status | A protected historical district |
A name that came from India
The word bund reached English from Hindustani, where it meant a dyke or embankment. In the treaty ports of China it was used for an embanked quay along the shore.
A mile of buildings
The Bund runs about 1.6 km, from Yan'an Road in the south to Waibaidu Bridge in the north, centred on a stretch of Zhongshan Road.
Many styles in one row
The buildings are generally eclectic, with Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts revivals, and a number in Art Deco. Shanghai has one of the richest collections of Art Deco architecture in the world.
A financial street
Commercial buildings in the Beaux-Arts style rose around the turn of the 20th century, as the Bund became a major financial centre of East Asia. Some echo the waterfront of Liverpool, particularly the group known as the Three Graces.
The levee
In the 1990s a tall levee was built along the riverfront, and the embankment now stands about 10 metres above street level. It changed how the Bund looks from the street, which is one reason the view from the river is worth having.
After dark
Evening sailings are the ones timed for the lights. Guests describe the Bund glowing against the modern towers of Pudong, with the contrast between old and new Shanghai at its sharpest from the river.