Shanghai Trip Part 2: Walk around Waitan (外滩) (The Bund)

[Introduction]

I traveled to Shanghai, China, in late May. If I had been fluent in Chinese, I could have enjoyed the trip more, but I was impressed with a fine mixture of retro and modern elements in Shanghai. In this article, I will write about Waitan (The Bund) as part of Day 1. The area is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.

[Visit Places (series of articles)]
* Day 1: Fly to Hongqiao International Airport
* Day 1: Waitan (The Bund) [This article]
* Day 1: Waitan (The Bund) (Light-up)
* Day 2: Oriental Pearl Tower
* Day 2: Jin Mao Tower
* Day 2: Shanghai Tower
* Day 2: Shanghai World Financial Center
* Day 2: Pudong (Light-up)
* Day 3: Yu Garden
* Day 3: Xintiandi, Middle Huaihai Road, Hengshan Road and Tianzifang
* Day 3: East Nanjing Road (Light-up)
* Day 4: Shanghai World Expo Museum
* Day 4: Natural History Museum, Ocean Aquarium and China Art Museum
* Day 4: Yu Garden (Light-up)
* Day 5: Great World (Dashijie), Jing’an Temple and Shanghai Exhibition Center
* Day 5: Return Home from Pudong International Airport

[Travel Date]
2018.05.23 – 27

[Main Part]

Waitan (The Bund) (外滩)

Following the previous post, I came to Waitan (外滩) from East Nanjing Road (南京东路).

“Waitan (外滩)”, or “The Bund”, is a waterfront area along East No.1 Zhongshan Road, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River. The area used to be the Shanghai International Settlement from later 19th century to early 20th century and historical buildings developed during that time become a highlight of the area.

East No.1 Zhongshan Road lies north and south, and I started strolling from “Garden Bridge (外白渡桥)”, the north end of “Waitan (外滩)”.

“Garden Bridge (外白渡桥)” is the first iron bridge in China and famous for a filming location. The bridge is lighted up in the evening, so I will revisit it later.

The area along the Huangpu River faces the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in the Pudong District.

The right object was “Shanghai People’s Heroes Monument”.

This is one of the most famous views in Shanghai.

Both foreign tourists and visitors from other cities in China gathered here.

A walking trail was developed, so it was easy to walk around.

It was late May with early summer weather. I got sweaty and felt thirsty, so I stopped by “沈大成 Shen Da Cheng Cafe&Bar” to take a break.

I ordered a mango sundae.

I will resume walking around “Waitan (外滩)”.

Retro buildings along the walking path were impressive.

These buildings had their own names based on their address. For example, the left building (the HSBC Building) was “The Bund No.12” and the adjacent building on the right with a clock tower (the Customs House) was “The Bund No.13”.

There was also a Charging Bull. Actually, the same artist with the Charging Bull in Wall Street, New York, created this Charging Bull as well.

I took photos of the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in the Pudong District again.

I often saw freight ships.

Here are snaps of historical Western buildings.

Shanghai Grandmother Restaurant (上海姥姥)

Now I will have dinner a little early. I visited “Shanghai Grandmother Restaurant (上海姥姥)”.

In the restaurant.

To start with, I had braised pork belly (Hong Shao Rou, 红烧肉) as a representative cuisine in Shanghai.

Here is another dish I ordered.

Evening Scene in Waitan (The Bund)

I will continue to go around “Waitan (外滩)” after dinner.

It was getting dark gradually.

As time passed, the number of visitors was increasing.

Several companies operated sightseeing ships.

It was a magic hour just after sunset.

With a tourist boat.

Then, I will continue to walk around “Waitan (外滩)” with light-up in the evening.

[Closing]

That’s it for the article about Waitan (The Bund) as part of Day 1.

While historical buildings during the the Shanghai International Settlement remain in “Waitan (外滩)”, the area faces the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in the Pudong District, so visitors can see the past and present of Shanghai at the same time. As one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai, I decided to visit “Waitan (外滩)” first and found the area was more than I expected 🙂

In the next article, I will write about evening scene in Waitan (The Bund) as part of Day 1.

[Map]

1 Garden Bridge
2 Shanghai People’s Heroes Monument
3 Charging Bull
4 Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
5 Shanghai Grandmother Restaurant

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