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On Sunday, a group of us went down to the Bund, which is probably the most recognizable part of Shanghai. The Bund is a walkway that runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River. From the Bund you can see Shanghai's world famous skyline which is on the opposite bank of the river. We used the subway for the first time to travel from the southwestern part, where SJTU is located, to the East Nanjing Road. We rode two different lines to get to our final destination. The metro system is the cleanest I have ever seen. Both lines seem relatively new and comparable to the latest lines in Europe like the London Millennium Line. Round trip was 8RMB, so ~$1. We walked through Nanjing Road, the most famous shopping area in Shanghai.
The Bund area provided a great view of the skyscrapers across the Huangpu river, all built in the last two decades during China's rapid economic growth. The most famous is the Oriental Pearl tower, a building now synonymous with Shanghai. As you can see from the pictures, the skyline is plagued by smog. There were actually several stands set up for tourists that offered to take
your picture with the skyline in the background and then photoshop a clear blue sky. The other side of the Bund is lined with impressive colonial building from the early 1900's, many of which are still currently used business buildings. Even noticed AIG owned an office in one of the buildings. A lot of the area around the Bund was closed off for construction in anticipation of the 2010 World Expo which will be hosted in Shanghai.
After exploring the Bund and grabbing lunch we walked to the Waibaidu Bridge, a famous steel bridge that spans the Suzhou creek which flows into the Huangpu River.
The Bund area is also a popular destination for Chinese tourists and a couple of these groups even requested to take pictures with us. We noticed others trying to sneak pictures of us. While Western tourists are not new to Shanghai, it is uncommon sight outside of the China's major cities. Communication so far is not easy but it is manageable. Its always helpful to have one person who can speak mandarin in the group. Hopefully my ability to communicate improves as I progress in Chinese class.
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Stan D. Hewitt
non-member comment
Great story and Pics
Parker, thanks for sharing the interesting experience and narrative. We'll look for to as many of these as you have time to write! Mom and Dad