The Bund & Old Shanghai Decoded: Arch, Culture, Economy &Politics

5.0 (one review) 3 hours Free cancellation

out of 5

one review

5.0

The Bund & Old Shanghai Decoded: Arch, Culture, Economy &Politics — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

The Bund & Old Shanghai Decoded: Arch, Culture, Economy &Politics, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

This is a deep dive into modern Shanghai. With your Shanghainese-born guide—a 35+ year eyewitness—you'll decode stories behind the skyline. Starting from Suzhou Creek's industrial roots, we walk through the foreign concessions and the Bund's 1920s–30s golden age, uncovering politics, finance, and art. This is not a typical tour—it's a journey into Shanghai's soul.

Our Core Uniqueness:

1）Decoding the Bund's DNA – Follow Shanghai's chronological rise from Suzhou Creek to the Bund. Analyze the skyline through Politics, Economy, Art & Culture—turning a walk into intellectual exploration.

2）Stories Beyond Stone – Uncover human drama: tycoons, gangsters, refugees, revolutionaries etched into every building. History told through scandal, ambition, and survival.

3）Your Guide: A Living Archive – More than a narrator, a cultural bridge. Personal experience and cross-cultural insight make complex history accessible and engaging.

Half-day Tours Private and Luxury Architecture Tours Cultural Tours Historical Tours Walking Tours Small Group Short term availability

At a glance

Duration: 3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 10 people
People per booking: 1–9
Guide: English
Operated by: Max & Mini Shanghai Cultural Tours

Ages: Children (0–9 years) · Youth (10–15 years) · Adults (16–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Professional & Local English Tour Guide

Itinerary

Suzhou River

10 min

Why was Shanghai called the "Wall Street of the East" and the "Gallery of International Architecture"?

How was the famous Bund built—and what stories hide behind its grand buildings?

What connected this waterfront to the rest of the world a hundred years ago?
Shanghai Post Museum

10 min

Listen to the stories of Former General Post Office Headquarters; known as the "First Hall of the Far East", now Shanghai Postal Museum
Garden Bridge

10 min

The Garden bridge was a wooden bridge built by concession authority to replace a former the Wells' Bridge. As the bridge was quite close to the Public Garden, it was named as Garden bridge. The locals called it "Waibaidu Bridge". In Chinese, it means "the outermost bridge which is free to cross".
Stop 4

10 min

Listen to the stories of The bund's very first building: The former site of the British Consulate and Consular Residence
Stop 5

10 min

Listen to the stories of No. 27 the Bund——Former Jardine Matheson Building, later Shanghai Foreign Trade Bureau, Now House of Roosevelt & Rolex Flagship Store
Fairmont Peace Hotel

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.20 the Bund —— Former Sassoon House / Cathay Hotel, Now Peace Hotel
Stop 7

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.19 the Bund —— Former Palace Hotel / Central Hotel
Stop 8

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.17 the Bund —— Former North China Daily News Building, Now AIA Building
Former Russo-Chinese Bank Shanghai Branch Building

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.15 the Bund —— Former Russo-Chinese Bank Building, Now Shanghai Foreign Exchange Trade Centre
Former HSBC Building On The Bund

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.12 the Bund —— Former HSBC Building, later the Shanghai Municipal Government, Now Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
Shanghai Custom House

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.13 the Bund—— Former Jianghai Customs House, Now Shanghai Customs House
Stop 12

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.6&9 the Bund—— Former Russell & Co., Now China Merchants Bank Building
Great Northern Telegraph Building

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.7 the Bund—— Former Great Northern Telegraph Company, Now Bangkok Bank
Stop 14

10 min

Listen to the stories of No.2 the Bund—— Former The Shanghai Club, Now Waldorf Astoria Club
The Bund (Wai Tan)

20 min

The rest of historical & cultural site of the Bund will be covered are listed: (cannot be located technically by the map)

No.1: Asiatic Petroleum Co.

No.3&4: Union Building & Nissin Building

No.9: Former Bank of Communications

No.11: Former Bank of Taiwan, now China Merchants Bank

No.13: Former Chartered Bank

No.16: Former Bank of China (site of German Club), now Bank of China