Waibaidu Bridge
This steel span bridge was built in 1907 to replace the wooden Garden Bridge that once connected the American Settlement north of the Suzhou Creek to the British Concession. On the north side of the bridge, you can see a number of colonial holdovers: to the left (west), the former Broadway Mansions (now Shanghai Mansions), an Art Deco apartment building constructed in 1934, which later housed the Foreign Correspondents Club after World War II; and to the right on the north side of the street, the marvelous old Astor House Hotel, built in 1860 and reconstructed in 1906. The hotel was the first to use telephones and electric lights in China. Albert Einstein stayed here in 1921 and 1923 (and you can, too, in his former room, in today's Pujiang Hotel). South of the Pujiang is the former and again current Russian Consulate, built in 1917, which served as a seamen's hotel in intervening years.From the southeastern end of the bridge, looking south, you will find yourself at the beginning of the refurbished:
河滨公园 - Waitan Guanjing Dadao (Bund Sightseeing Avenue)
The patches of greenery that you see here used to be part of the famous (or infamous) Huangpu Gongyuan (Huangpu Park). Today, very little remains of the notorious park, originally built by the British in 1868, which in colonial days was reputed to have a sign posted forbidding entrance by dogs and Chinese. Actually, they were just 2 out of 10 park prohibitions, but the underlying attitude toward the Chinese was clear. Today's sightseeing avenue is dominated at the northern end by an obelisk, the Monument to the People's Heroes. This is a great spot to take in views of Pudong across the river, as well as of the Bund buildings you'll soon be seeing up close.Cross to the west side of the Bund at Nan Suzhou Lu. Straight ahead is the next point of interest.
Former British Consulate (Nos. 33-53)
This large, sprawling compound with the two stately gray and tan granite buildings was the former British Consulate, first established here in 1852 after the British victory in the Opium War of 1842, and rebuilt in 1873. From this perch at the top of the Bund, the British oversaw the growth and development of Shanghai into an economic powerhouse in the first half of the 20th century. There were other consulate buildings here, but none remain. Today's compound, also enclosing the early English Gothic-style former Union Church (originally built in 1886, and given a complete face-lift in 2010) and neighboring hall, are currently managed by the Peninsula Hotel just to the south, itself newly built and opened in 2010. At press time, the former British Consulate buildings were being used to receive official guests for the World Expo, with future plans for it yet uncertain.Follow the curve of Nan Suzhou Lu north, noting across the street on the south shore of Suzhou Creek the only remaining building of the Shanghai Rowing Club, built in 1904. Take a left (south)
Yuanmingyuan Lu
Behind the Bund, this street is part of what is known as Waitanyuan (including the parallel Huqiu Lu to the west, which was known as Museum Road in the 1930s), an area that was home to many cultural and religious institutions in the 1930s. It has been slated by the Shanghai government for long-term redevelopment, while preserving a number of heritage buildings. (When complete, Waitanyuan will be bordered by Nan Suzhou Lu in the north, Sichuan Lu in the west, the Bund on the east, and Dianchi Lu in the south.) The initial phase included making this a pedestrian-only street at the center of Waitanyuan Plaza, and restoring the buildings along the western side. Starting at the top at no. 209, the former China Baptist Publication Society Building is a superb red and brown brick structure by Ladislav Hudec, completed in 1930. Running south, in a row of gorgeous buildings (pick your favorite) are the 1927 Lyceum Building, the 1923 Associated Mission Building, the 1927 Somekh Mansion, the 1933 YWCA (the YWCA's primary mission was to educate, not proselytize, and was the only foreign organization allowed to continue operating after 1949), the 1904 Yuanming Yuan Apartments, and the stately 1908 Ampire Building. To the east is the Peninsula Hotel with its gallery of luxury shops.Turn right (west) at Beijing Dong Lu, passing the 1897 Andrews and George Building, and the 1929 National Industrial Bank of China, and take a right (north) onto Huqiu Lu where you'll find your next point of interest.
Rockbund Art Museum
The museum is housed in the Palmer and Turner-designed former Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) building (completed 1932), an Art Deco structure with Chinese motifs like the balcony and octagonal bagua designs in front. When the building was home to the RAS, it once housed a collection of around 15,000 volumes, which miraculously survived World War II and the Cultural Revolution, and can be consulted at the Shanghai Library Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei. Take a peek inside even if you're not interested in the art.
