The Bund, Shanghai

The Bund is studded with architectural jewels from the 1920s and 1930s. These include (from left in the photograph): the Shanghai Club, Union Building, NKK Building, Russell & Co Building and the Great Northern Telegraph Co Building.

The Bund lies north of what was once the old walled city of Shanghai and housed a number of banks, clubs and trading houses from the UK, USA, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Russia and Japan, as well as the Russian and British consulates and a newspaper building, in what was then the International Settlement.

The former Sassoon House, built by Sir Victor Sassoon and designed by Palmer and Turner Architects with a floor area of 36 317 square meters, was constructed between 1926 and 1929. The building has thirteen levels with a basement, standing 77 meters tall. Sassoon's private apartment was on the top floor.

Boasting to be Shanghai's social heart, the Peace Hotel - crowned with a pyramidal copper-faced roof that has turned green with age - is a distinctive landmark along The Bund.

One of the world's primary promenades curves along the Huangpu River and separates the historic and statuesque European architecture of the 1920s and 1930s from the glittering and dynamic architecture of modern China.

The Bund is a microcosm of Shanghainese life with local residents using the public space for fitness (tai chi), entertainment (kite-flying) or business (photography), while domestic and international tourists throng the broad footpaths to take in the magnificent views.

The Bund is also a springboard for cruises along the Huangpu River (both day and night), fine dining and wining at establishments in several of the historic buildings, and even a sightseeing tour through a tunnel linking Puxi to Pudong.

The Bund is a must-see.

The combined visual impact of the neighbouring Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (formerly the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building) and Customs House is arguably the scenic focal point of The Bund.

Construction of the six-storey Shanghai Pudong Development Bank building began on 5 May, 1921 and was completed in 1923. Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful buildings in Asia, it boasted a floor area of 23 415 square meters and became the largest bank building in the Far East. In front of the building is a pair of replica lions, the originals of which are now on display at the Shanghai Museum.

The adjacent eight-storey Customs House (formerly known as Jianghai Custom House) was built in 1927 and occupies a floor area of 32 680 square meters. The clock tower stands 90 meters tall.

The Swatch Art Peace Hotel is a red-brick building not to be confused with the Fairmont Peace Hotel and is the southern building of the former Shanghai Peace Hotel, founded by a British businessman in 1854. It had no relation to its northern neighbour until 1949, when the Chinese government took over both structures and operated them under the Peace Hotel brand.

Today, the Swatch Art Peace Hotel sports three concepts under one hood: shopping, artist residences and accommodation.

One of the more interesting aspects of this hotel is that the Swatch Group as primary investor invites a limited number of international artists to live and work in the building for free. They revamped 18 rooms on the hotel's upper stories into workshop-apartments for visiting artists, who can use the Shanghai skyline or streets below for inspiration for as long as six months, after which they donate one art work to the hotel for future exhibitions.

The hotel houses four watch boutiques affiliated with the Swatch Group: Breguet, Omega, Blancpain and Swatch, while the rooftop terrace has a stunning view of the Pudong skyline.

The Monument to the People's Heroes is a concrete structure in the form of three rifles standing against each other at the confluence of Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River.

The 24m tall structure was erected in 1993 to commemorate revolutionary martyrs as well as those who have lost their lives fighting natural disasters.

It is also a popular location for locals during the early morning who gather in large groups to exercise together.

After the treaty of Nanking, Georges Balfour arrived in 1843 as the first Consul in Shanghai and took possession of swampland between the mouth of Suzhou Creek and Yang Jin Bang (a creek later covered and turned into Yanan Road). This became the seat of the British Consulate in Shanghai up to 1967 when the Chinese forced consular staff to leave during the Cultural Revolution.

The current building with the consul residence next to it was completed in 1873 and became the first western architecture on The Bund. After the departure of the British, it became a friendship store, before being abandoned. Part of the compound was then knocked down to make way for the Peninsula hotel, but the rest of the property has been skillfully renovated.

One of the lesser known historic buildings that brilliantly stud the banks of the Huangpu and Suzhou Rivers is what remains of the old and venerable Shanghai Rowing Club and boathouse.

Formed by the British and Americans in 1863, the building itself dates from 1905 and comprised a large ballroom, dressing rooms, and a large roof garden over the neighboring boathouse. Unfortunately, developers bulldozed much of the building in 2009 and this structure is all that remains of what was one of the earliest sports facilities in modern China.

Visiting this building can form part of any walking tour of the historic Bund.