The Bund
The Bund is located in the Shanghai downtown along the Huangpu River. The Bund is an important attraction in Shanghai and one of most famous destinations. It is worth traveling when the tourist stay in Shanghai.
After 1840, the Shanghai as one of the five treaty ports was opened to the outside world. In 1845 British colonialists occupied the Bund, and established the British Concession. In 1849, the French colonialists also seized the Bund of Shanghai and established a French Concession. Since 1940s, the Bund was jointly occupied by the Britain and France.
The area of the Concession looked like a sovereign district in Shanghai separated from China, the Western powers operated and managed this certain area in their own way. The Bund became the first concession buildings and the most prosperous land in Shanghai. In the early period of the Bund, it was the foreign trade center with numerous foreign firms. In the late period of 19th Century, many foreign-funded banks and domestic banks were founded in the Bund and it became Shanghai's "Financial Street" and "the East Wall Street" in China.
Thus, the Bund became a "treasure-house of Shanghai." Owning a piece of land in the Bund is not only a symbol of wealth but also a symbol of honor. Once the firms and financial enterprises got a piece of land in the Bund, they went in for building in a large scale and established their company buildings.
Most of the Bund buildings were reconstructed for three times or more. The architects from different countries show off their skills and idea in the Bund. It was concentrated with more than twenty buildings established in different time and different styles by different architects from different countries. So the Bund is also called Million-State Building Expo.
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