What roads near the Bund in Shanghai are suitable for walking?
1. Old Summer Palace Road
If you want to go to Old Summer Palace Road, you must see the rich historical buildings in the Bund.
The architecture in Shanghai is very unique, why do you have to come here? First of all, it must be said that the buildings here have history, most of them were built between 1910 and 1930s.
Besides, the styles are also quite diverse, and most of them are foreign styles, such as Gothic style, Renaissance style, neoclassical style, Art Deco style, etc.
The rich architectural complex on the Bund also reflects the inclusiveness of the city of Shanghai. It is true that "architectures can be read", and they all have stories.
Nowadays, it is still constantly upgrading and changing, and is transforming into a cutting-edge community integrating art, business, and new technology interaction, exploring the ideal life for the future. So I come here often, and I always find new perspectives.
Check-in point:
Former Xintian’an Church, No. 79 South Suzhou Road
The church is really impressive. There are too many church photo poses on the Xiaomoushu platform, but many of them are Xujiahui churches. Let’s do something different and go to Xintian’an Church.
It was originally named Union Chapel. After two expansions in 1899 and 1901, it was renamed Xintianan Church, also known as United Church or Union Chapel.
There is a story here (you just need to know a little bit about it. It would be better if you could tell it to your friends. Friends will definitely look at you with envy): When Shanghai opened as a port, two British Missionaries John Medus and Luo Weilin of the London Mission came to Shanghai. The latter built Renji Hospital, while the former built many priests' residences and offices around the hospital, hence the name "Maijiaquan" on Shandong Road. In 1864, the London Mission officially built its first church in Maijiaquan, Shandong Road Tian'an Church, which was later occupied by the expanded Renji Hospital. In 1885, believers raised funds to purchase land on the banks of the Suzhou River to build a new church, which was completed the following year. It was originally named Xiehe Chapel. After two expansions in 1899 and 1901, it was renamed New Tianan Church, also known as United Church or Union Chapel.
Guanglu Building, No. 142 Huqiu Road
In those days, if you wanted to watch Hollywood movies, you had to come here. There is also a light show in the market now, and the dazzling one has to be Shanghai Beach.
Back in the day, the Guanglu Theater was a cinema showing first-run Hollywood movies. It was located on the ground floor and second floor of the Guanglu Building.
The Guanglu Building was also the first building in Shanghai to put a theater in the building. It was invested by the British businessman Sven & Foreign Company, and the designer was Hongda, a Hungarian architect who was as famous as Hudec in Shanghai at that time.
If you can walk around the entire outside of the building, or have the opportunity to overlook it, you will find that the building has a fan-shaped plane. Of course, it is also very beautiful indoors and outdoors, with patterns and reliefs in an Art Deco style.
It’s great to come here for a walk in the summer evenings. The sun has gone down, so it’s not so hot when you walk around. It’s also next to the river bank, and there’s a slight breeze. When the light show is on, it will be very comfortable to sit on the stone steps. You can also see many creative ideas in the light show. For example, Le Zhenwen, a Shanghai-style art painter and director of the Shanghai Calligraphy and Painting Academy of the Democratic National Construction Association, and his wife Zhang Chi used poetry and painting to incorporate light and shadow, showing "oriental charm and Chinese style" in long ink scrolls.
It should be said that this place makes full use of the advantages of the old building and combines it with the characteristics of the new era. Shanghai’s art design is always surprising.
Lanxin Building, No. 185 Yuanmingyuan Road
The first floor of Lanxin Building is now the "Urban Examination History Laboratory" initiated by the Shanghai history folk research group "Urban Archeology" , has been open to the public for a long time, and will also welcome the "Urban Archaeological Library" in the future.
This place has also experienced vicissitudes of life, because it was once destroyed by fire. Later, in 1872, it was rebuilt on the original site and became the earliest modern Western-style theater building in Shanghai. In 1891, the Meen Theater Company visited Shanghai and staged the "Shakespeare Season" for the first time, which caused quite a sensation. In 1927, the building was demolished and rebuilt due to disrepair. This time, although the new building was still named after Lan Xin, the theater was permanently moved to today's Maoming South Road, where it remains today.
There are reasons for the development of drama in Shanghai and the high acceptance of drama by the public. Nowadays, although you don’t have to watch plays and musicals here, you can come here for a walk and recall the glory of the "Shakespeare Season" back then.
Zhongan Meifeng Building, No. 108, Beijing East Road?
It is said that Zhongan Meifeng Building has become one of the most special and topical buildings.
Why is it said to be topical and controversial? Maybe it's because he has so much personality.
In the design based on conservation and renewal by British architect David Chipperfield, it presents a "suture body" - the lower half of the building retains the original Victorian-style fair-faced brick wall building On the facade, the ground floor is an open art exhibition space, the second floor is commercial space, and the third floor is used for offices; the upper part of the building is a 14-story office building that extends upward 11 stories next to the historical brick facade. , the exterior facade continues the original proportions, the volume retreats into setbacks in different directions, the volumes are staggered, and the shapes are diverse, forming a friendly relationship with the surrounding urban historical space.
These buildings may not be described as beautiful or not in our usual sense. Designers have their own ideas and personalities in the buildings. So when appreciating them, it would be more appropriate to use unique.
Shanghai Rockbund Art Museum, No. 20 Huqiu Road?
People today only know that there is one Old Summer Palace Road in the Bund. In fact, its "original name" is "Xia Old Summer Palace Road". In other words, there was once a sister road called "Shang Yuanmingyuan Road", which is today's Huqiu Road.
From "Shang Yuanmingyuan Road" to "Huqiu Road", the middle of this road was once called "Museum Road".
In 2010, the Rockbund Art Museum was completed. This has also become another popular place to check in, and it is also a place we must visit on this road. However, usually people don’t necessarily care about the history here. As long as they take photos and check in, it’s good. Sometimes the mentality of tourists may not be bad, but it is much easier to have fun.
2. Composite route (longer)
Route: Huqiu Road (Perrotin Gallery) - Beijing East Road (Samei Building) - Sichuan Middle Road - Sichuan Road and Bridge ——Shanghai Postal Museum-North Suzhou River-Zhapu Road Bridge-Old Summer Palace Road (The Bund)-Beijing East Road
This route is generally quite long, and the scenery along the way is very beautiful. Well, there are a lot of check-in points, which must test your physical strength.
Travel lightly and take your time. You may not visit them all at once, but you can also split your time. For example, if you visit a certain spot in one day, write it down, and then start directly from this spot next time, and then go to the next one. It’s not a bad idea to finish the tour several times. The main thing is not to be too tired. Being hot and tired when you go out to play will affect your mood and experience. When you are tired, sit down and relax in a coffee shop and sip a cup of coffee. There is still a shortage of coffee shops in Shanghai.
You can also plant grass on this route first. When the weather gets cooler and it becomes more convenient to ride a bike, it may be more comfortable to walk and bike together.
Huqiu Road check-in point: Perrotin Gallery
Although Huqiu Road is only 334 meters long, there are many places worth stopping on the way. I recommend all art lovers to go to No. 27 Huqiu Road. In fact, the three galleries here are worth visiting.
The Perrotin Gallery on the 3rd floor has excellent reviews and basically gets full marks. Exhibitions are constantly changing. You can follow some platforms to learn about some exhibition information in a timely manner.
Beijing East Road check-in point: Shamei Building
Going west, you can take photos of the Oriental Pearl Tower from a distance.
After that, you can walk to the intersection of Beijing East Road and Sichuan Middle Road, which is the Shamei Building, known as the "most mysterious building" on the Bund! This Baroque-style building is five stories high, with stone veneer and façade architectural elements emphasizing curves and reliefs.
Its mystery is reflected in its past history, and now everyone knows a lot about it.
Sichuan Middle Road Check-in Point: Shanghai Petroleum No. 1 Gas Station
The gas station was completed and opened in 1948, breaking the monopoly of oil sales by three foreign companies: Mobil, Texaco and Asia. market conditions. A check-in point that makes Chinese people proud. If you want to take a photo here, why not give it a thumbs up and manually like it? No need for Biye.
Sichuan Road and Bridge Check-in Point: Shanghai Postal Museum
Sichuan Road and Bridge, also known as "Libaidu Bridge", connects Huangpu and Hongkou districts and is a veritable photo spot for Internet celebrities.
Standing here, looking for an angle, maybe you can take a picture of the "Lujiazui Four-piece Suit".
Check-in points along the North Suzhou River: Zhapu Road Bridge, Source of the Riverside
Starting from the Postal Museum, walking along the North Suzhou River Road bankline, you will pass through 3 characteristic sections - the Post Office Museum Messenger Garden Section, Bellagio Hotel Time Garden Section, Shanghai Tower Blue Dream Garden Section.
It may already be night when we get here. The night in Shanghai is beautiful, the lights are bright, and the trees and flowers on the roadside are nice. However, it is also recommended to walk around during the day. The buildings will be photographed more clearly and you can also see some of the subtle designs on the buildings.
Both day and night have their own characteristics, why not come and see them both.