The Bund 上海灘 also known as Wai Tan 外灘

The Bund, meaning “embankment”, in Hindi is known as a landmark of Shanghai prominent for its mixed architectural constructions from Neoclassical, Gothic, Renaissance, to Baroque Style infrastructures. It was once forced to open to Westerners as a trading port after China lost the First Opium War in 1840s, and became a place for French Concession, British settlements, and later British and Americans formed the international settlement. It also once included Jewish settlers from Baghdad, immigration from Russia following the 1917 Russian Revolution, and those who escaped Nazi persecution in Germany.

The establishment of the Treaty of Nanking allowed Shanghai to become a trading port for Westerners, which the Chinese considered as an embarrassment as they were forced to surrender control of key Chinese territory. Following the treaty, financial institutions and subsequently hotels were built for foreigners and tourists.
I was told that Shanghai is also called LaoFungXiang 老凤祥 as seen on the boat… also I wasn’t sure why Kevan and Esther were at the police booth … I later learned that Kevan was asking about the different types of police around China, from security guards to tourist police to police trainees to regular police to public security bureau personnel, lots of different types of police and security across the country.

One of the most prominent buildings was the Cathay Hotel built by Victor Sassoon. This hotel was later renamed Peace Hotel 和平飯店.
The building on the right is the famous Peace Hotel 和平飯店. It is comprised of two buildings, the Fairmont Peace Hotel on the right and the Swatch Art Peace Hotel on the left divided by Shanghai Nanjing Pedestrian Street in the middle.

Monument to People’s Heroes

WaiBaiDuJiao 外白渡桥
This is the oldest bridge in Shanghai!

The Oriental Pearl Tower
The Oriental Tower is a Radio and TV tower located right across the Bund on the bank of Huangpu River.

The night view of the tower is very beautiful illuminated with flashing colorful lights.

We visited the Disney Store during our walk around the Bund. The decorations and display of lights in the open space in front of the store provides a magical sense of fantasy.

Right across from the mall in which Din Tai Fung is located.
Din Dai Fung 鼎泰豐
In my opinion, Din Tai Fung in Shanghai offers the best quality soup dumplings, perfect texture in the wrap and soupy! After Esther heard that Kevan loves these soup dumplings, she ordered them at virtually every restaurant she could, at one point I think we had soup dumplings for five consecutive meals. Unfortunately, none of them were very good. The first place the dumplings broke apart because the skin stuck to the tray when you pulled them up so all of the soup spilled out. The next ones the soup was not very hot, and the next ones the skin was very thick and there was virtually no soup. Not to sound like a food critic, but in order for a soup dumpling to be tasty, the soup has to be intact within the dumpling and it has to be hot, otherwise what’s the point? And Din Tai Fung seems to consistently hit the mark better than virtually any other place.

Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆
The museum is located in the Huangpu District in Shanghai. Artifacts such as calligraphy, paintings, bronze, furnitures, ceramics collected from government confiscations, sale by private collectors and accidental finds are displayed in the museum.

Some of the exhibitions …

China Pavillion Expo – Shanghai Art Museum
We visited China Pavillion Expo – Shanghai Art Museum this morning. We arrived right at 10am when it opened. There weren’t too many people early Monday morning and the entrance was free except for special exhibitions that day.

This structure is the China art museum in Shanghai. It was originally built for the 2010 world Expo to act as the Oriental crown demonstrating China’s modern achievements and tremendous architecture, landscape and exhibits. At the time, it was the largest ever expo display building as well as the most expensive at the Shanghai Expo with the cost of $220 million.

The architecture and structure of the building are unique and also display many China specific features. One of these is a Chinese roof bracket which is used to support large overhanging eaves and is a building approach which dates back nearly 2000 years in Chinese architecture. The structure of an inverted pyramid also represents the union between heaven and earth, similar to the four giant columns in the building that represent the legs of a vessel and the inverted pyramid body resembling the bowl of the vessel. The rooftop is in the shape of a grid lake pattern, and the characters in Chinese for North, South, East and West are engraved on the pavilion.
Tianzifang田子坊
Tianzifang in Shanghai was converted into a tourist attraction with restaurants and shops from traditional Chinese residence houses in the French Concession area.

It is a popular place to find traditional Chinese souvenirs, art trinkets and baubles.
Shanghai Museum of Sun Yat Sen’s Former Residence
Sun Yat-sen was a principal leader fighting for Chinese democratic revolution. He lived in the Former Residence with his wife, Mrs. Soong Ching Ling, from 1918 until his death in 1925, after which his wife continued living there until 1937.
The Former Residence is a two-story Western architectural home. Most of the couple’s household items/relics remain in their original locations which provide tourists some perspectives on the life he led. Pictures and descriptions of his life events coupled with historical artifacts also give a deeper understanding of Mr. Sun’s endeavors and enthusiasm in pursuing his revolutionary career.


Yu Garden 豫园

Yu Garden was originally built in 1559 by Pan YuDuan to show filial piety to his parents in their old age for comfort. He named it Yu Garden 豫 园 as the word Yu 豫 means “pleasing to one’s parents”. Thus, it is also known as the “Garden of Peace and Comfort”.
It is adjacent to the YuYuan Bazaar and that’s where we spent most of our time browsing the food stalls and the shops, including the Häagen-Dazs store, without realizing there was an actual garden next door😂.
Yu Garden Old Street 豫园 (Yuyuan Bazaar)
Yu Garden is a big Chinese architectural shopping center with eateries of traditional Chinese street food such as soup dumplings, meat skewers etc.. Shops selling traditional Chinese clothing, paintings, souvenirs, toys, and modern clothing are in abundance, although polished bargaining skills can come in handy. One can spend hours at this place shopping and food sampling.

Chocolate Museum

One of the shops at the bazaar that piqued our attention was a chocolate museum. They had some intricate chocolate sculptures which caused us to peek in, and then as we wandered through the first few structures, we realized that we were locked in a one-way path through the museum. We of course ultimately wound up in a huge chocolate store. We should’ve seen that coming, but there are definitely worst places to be trapped!
Shanghai City Hall

Shanghai Cuisine at ChuenMao 权茂上海菜 located at Shanghai Manjing Pedestrian Street.

The food was amazing and the old Shanghai ambience was fascinating.

Shanghai Nanjing Pedestrian Street

Foot Reflexology
Foot massage is a must-do in China. Soaking our feet in a warm (okay, scalding hot) medicated water, enjoying a massage hitting all the pressure points targeting at easing discomfort at various body parts, getting the dead skin all scrubbed off your feet, and finishing with a shoulder massage is the best way to get rejuvenated after a long hike.

Traffic In Shanghai
Crossing the street can be a challenge. Pedestrians strolling across the road on a red light, vehicles all going at the same time in a four way junction is a common scene so be extra cautious!

Shanghai Tower
The adjacent two other building are the Jin Mao Tower in the middle and the Shanghai World Financial Center on the right.
