Bund

candid China tips

 

Why
the Bund
is special

The Bund is the world's most famous riverside street. It's lined with early 20th Century buildings of European design that were once the headquarters of major traders and financial institutions from the Western world. And, it offers a splendid view of the Pudong modern skyscrapers across the river.

My favorite time is during the early evening (see photo). Not only are the Bund and Pudong buildings strategically illuminated, the Bund's riverside pedestrian promenade becomes a hand holding lovers' lane (shared with slowly strolling families and tourists).

Bund
tips & insights

Western businesses

Many built the stately Bund buildings with their money earned from respectable trades such as tea and spice. But, some generated it from the opium trade.

Two most famous buildings

One is the Peace Hotel. The other is the domed edifice that was once the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corporation (HSBC), one of the largest banks in the world today.

Finance

The Bund was once known as the financial capital of Asia. After the worldwide stock market crash of 1929, it began to lose some of it luster. Now, Hong Kong and Pudong, across the river from the Bund, are China's primary financial centers.

Name

Bund derives its name from an Anglo-Indian word for a flood preventing embankment (which was the Bund's original and still crucial purpose).

Length

The Bund is 1500 meters (almost a mile) in length.

Huangpu River cruise

Take a one-hour cruise on the Huangpu River. The ships leave from docks on the Bund riverbank (see photo). They provide a thrilling vantage of the Bund and - across the river  - the spectacular Pudong skyscrapers. The ideal departure time is just before the buildings are illuminated with floodlights. When you return, the buildings are spectacularly lit against the evening sky.

Promenade

Make an early morning visit to the Bund's promenade. It becomes a popular destination for tai chi enthusiasts.

Pronunciation guide

Bund: bun'd

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