There are many great reasons to visit Shanghai, on one of the many fantastic Shanghai holidays that are available, but its rich culture and history are without doubt the number one reason. In this blog we’ll sample just a little of this history by looking at one of Shanghai most famous buildings, The Bund.

The name of the building ‘Bund’ is derived from the anglo-indian word for a waterfront embankment, which unsurprisingly was what the building initially was. The area it’s comprised of was initially set up back in around 1840 with the first British office opening in 1846 and is one of Shanghai’s most recognisable architectural symbols to this day.

Over time, the area became representative of Shanghai’s place as one of the best trade cities in the world, and is to this day still very much the centre of trade in the city. The area has seen many modern buildings joining the classical architecture with large skyscrapers housing fantastic roof top gardens rubbing shoulders with the older, and in some ways more elegant, 19th century buildings.

The Bund covers an area of waterfront stretching from Jinling road at the southern end all the way up to Waibaidu Bridge up in the north. The river running alongside this beautiful waterfront is one of the tributaries of the mighty Yangtze River, the Huangpu River. If you take a moment to gaze out over the river today you’ll be treated to the sight of a bustling waterway. With large cargo vessels, tourist ferries and local boats all jostling for space as they nip up and down the river. If you’re feeling a little braver, you can even take a trip out on one of the pleasure boat rides to get a better view of the Bund from a little further out.

Out on the waterways looking back at the Bund gives you a great sense of scale with the towering skyscrapers, like the Oriental Pearl Tower, looming up into the sky. If you take a similar trip out at night you can also get to see the fantastic neon illumination of these fantastically modern buildings.

Overall the Bund gives you a great idea of Shanghai’s rich past and it’s future direction, it’s a great place to visit for anyone on holiday here and it’ll be a skyline you’ll remember for a long time.