Huangpu River Cruise

About a month ago, NYU took us on a night-time cruise on the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. The western Puxi side of the river features many banks and trading houses that date back to the time of the French Concession and the International Settlement in Shanghai. The eastern Pudong side of the river features ultra-modern corporate buildings encouraged by the current Shanghai city government. Thus, the river combines past and future, Puxi and Pudong, a perfect juxtaposition that captures the promise of China in a single view.

The Bund, which is the western Puxi side of the Huangpu River. Bund is an Urdu word meaning

"embankment", which the British brought with them from India. It is one of most glamorous views in the world, comparable to Fifth Ave or Champs-Elysees.

The building with the green roof is the Peace Hotel, the building to the right is the Bank of China. Many banks and trading houses set up shop in this area since the Bund was the hub of commerce from 1842 to 1949, from the Treaty of Nanking which designated Shanghai as a treaty port to the 1949 Communist victory which closed China from much of the world.

The Bund, adjacent to the previous picture (find the Peace Hotel to get your bearings). Shanghai's history is fascinating and different from the rest of China due to its previous status as a treaty port. One of our speakers in class told us that in the late 1800s Shanghai had three city governments - the Chinese government with its own police force in the South, the French Concession government with their Vietnamese police force further to the north, and the British-led International Settlement with their Sikh police force in the north. Shanghai was intimately tied to foreign powers and imperialism.

Due to this division into three governments, nearly anyone could enter Shanghai without a passport or visa. For this reason, tens of thousands of Jews were able to enter Shanghai during the Holocaust when most other countries refused to accept them. It's incredible to imagine the wild heyday of physical trading, of manual labor, and of mixed cultures that must have occurred in this area.

The Oriental Pearl Tower on the eastern Pudong side of the Huangpu River. The Pearl Tower is a TV tower, but it draws many tourists for its views of the city. I have yet to go to the top, but I'll be sure to write a post with pictures once I do.

The ultra-modern corporate buildings on the Pudong side. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower are two other highlights on the Pudong skyline. The Financial Center, the tallest building in China since its construction in 2007, is to the left of the Aurora building. If you look closely, it resembles a bottle opener. The Jin Mao Tower is on the Financial Center's left side. Both buildings include a combination of hotels, offices, malls, observation decks, etc., although I think the surrounding buildings are more devoted to office space.

The cruise was incredible, offering unprecedented views of the Bund and the Pudong side. Since the night was cold, our fingers were shaking and few good pictures came out. However, I'd definitely put a night-time cruise on the Huangpu River on your to-do list if you come to Shanghai.