RonnieAdventures: RonnieAdventure #0636 - The Bund and Pudong, Shanghai , China

Picture by Kolohe

Once we were back in Shanghai, China, we hired "Summer" (her English name) to take us on a walking tour of The Bund and Pudong.

We started our tour in The Bund, which in Chinese means "outer bank," or the Waterfront Area along Huangpu' River's western bank. This is one of the protected historic districts in central Shanghai and many of the buildings' architectural styles are based on Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical, Romanesque, Renaissance, and Art Deco designs. It was reported that Shanghai has "one of the richest collections of Art Deco architectures in the world."

The Shanghai Pudong Development Bank was built in 1921 and was considered to be the most beautiful building in all of Asia. Located adjacent to the Bank is the Palace Hotel, which is now called the Swatch Art Peace Hotel. It was built in 1906 and at the time of construction it was the most luxurious hotel in Shanghai. Adjacent to the Palace Hotel is the Fairmont Peace Hotel, which is the most distinctive building on the Bund. It was built in 1930 by millionaire Sir Victor Sasson and quickly became the most popular place for celebrities and visiting dignitaries to stay. Today, both hotels are run by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada, but the Swatch Art Peace Hotel is now operated as a residence and studio for artists.

Picture by Heather

Picture by Heather - Shanghai Development Bank

Picture by Heather - Customs House

Picture by Heather - Swatch Art Peace Hotel

Summer walked us into the Fairmont Peace Hotel to admire the historic artworks and other décor in the lobby area. Just off of the lobby is a room for the Peace Old Jazz Band that has performed every night for over 29 years. The band is composed of six veteran musicians, whose average age is 76. There is a plaque on the wall stating that this is a Guinness World Record for Jazz Bands.

Picture by Heather - Fairmont Peace Hotel

Picture by Kolohe

Picture by Heather

Picture by Kolohe

Picture by Heather

The original British Embassy was constructed between 1873 and 1882 and is now used as a restaurant. We did not have lunch in the building, but we did walk around the grounds and admired the gardens.

Picture by Kolohe

After leaving the Embassy, we walked across a bridge spanning Suzhou Creek that drains into the Huangpu' River. This a favorite place to take pictures of Pudong, which is on the other side of the river. As we walked across the bridge, one couple was taking wedding pictures with Pudong in the background.

Picture by Heather

Shanghai People's Heroes Memorial Tower is located along the waterfront, just south of the bridge in Huangpu Park It was built to commemorate "revolutionary martyrs, as well as those who have died fighting natural disasters...The structure stands 24 metres (79 ft) tall, and is built in the stylized shape of three rifles leaning against each other to show respect to those who fought for their homeland."

Picture by Heather

About every 15 minutes a ferry leaves from The Bund to Pudong and from Pudong to The Bund. It is an inexpensive way to cross the Huangpu River.

Picture by Heather

After debarking from the ferry, there was a nice traffic circle surrounded by tall buildings. Our first stop was the iconic landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower. When it was built in 1994, it was the tallest structure in China. It has now been passed in height by the Shanghai World Financial Center, but at 468 metres (1,535 ft), it is still the fifth highest free-standing tower in the world.

Picture by Heather

Picture by Kolohe

The Shanghai World Financial Center is the second tallest building in the world by roof height. In addition to office space, it has its own hotel and shopping mall. The Park Hyatt Shanghai occupies floors 79-93; making it the third highest hotel in the world. At the time of construction in 2007, it was the highest hotel in the world. We did not go up to the observation deck, but we did go up in the adjacent building. While we were taking pictures, a monk came up to us and gave me some prayer beads. He looked at my hand and said that I was going to live to be over 100 years old. I thanked him and gave him $5.

Picture by Kolohe

Picture by Heather

Picture by Kolohe

We went back across the river and Summer insisted that we had to have lunch at the Wei Xiang Zhai Restaurant. A plaque on the wall said that they won the "Michelin Guide Restaurant." They have a special dish that they serve, but I do not remember what it was called.

Picture by Kolohe

After lunch we visited the Jade Buddha Temple. It was founded in 1882 when two jade Buddha statues were imported from Myanmar. One was a sitting Buddha that is 1.95 m (6.4 feet) tall and and weighs 3 tons and the other is a reclining Buddha that represents Buddha's death. The Temple also contains a large Buddha imported from Singapore and several other Buddhas.

Summer told us we were very fortunate that we were there at the right time because the monks were having a special ceremony. Before we left, Summer purchased a Prayer Ribbon for us, so that we would be kept safe for the rest of our trip.

Picture by Kolohe

Tianzifang is located in one of the most expensive areas in Shanghai and is now a popular tourist destination. Originally this was an old alley with small factories, abandoned warehouses and ordinary houses, but a few years ago it turned into an arts district, and now has boutiques, craft shops, coffee shops, trendy art studios, street vendors, bars, and restaurants.

Picture by Kolohe

The outside of Liuli China Museum appears to be covered with dead vines, but it is actually 5,025 handmade petals that weigh 1.5 tons. On the web it states: "The peony flower sculpted from delicate metal wires looks fashionably modern but maintains the taste of its traditional elements at the same time. Under the element of light, the peony petals bloom delicately as the metal wires intercepts seamlessly. This work of art showcases visual attractiveness and sets one into thinking, combining our environment with art...In the day it is an elegant work of art, at night it transforms into an architecture bursting with vibrant color." We did not see it at night, but we saw night pictures and it looked amazing.

Picture by Kolohe

We could not leave China without going to a silk factory. They first gave us a tour of how silk is made, then we ended the tour in a retail store where we could purchase a variety of silk products.