Bund

Why the Bund is special
It's the world's most famous riverside street. The shore is 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, you get a splendid view of the Pudong modern skyscrapers across the river.

Bund tips and insights
How to pronounce
Bund: buhnd

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

I also enjoy early morning visits to the promenade. It becomes a popular destination for tai chi enthusiasts.

The 2 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.

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

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.