CHINA 35: SHANGHAI-THE BUND

June 8 Continued

Our next stop was the Bund (Indian name for a muddy embankment), built along the western bank of the Huangpu River.

Since the days of foreign concessions, the area has been the financial, commercial and cultural heart of Shanghai.

When I visited the Bund in 1982, it was a narrow strip of park full of people in the morning doing Tai Chi, playing badminton, and engaged in a variety of other outdoor activities.

Recently it was rebuilt. It is now a magnificent, wide, elevated, riverside promenade.

And it is a popular hangout for the tourists as well as the locals.

People still do Tai Chi, Kung Fu, aerobics, and even ballroom dancing in the morning. The rest of the day, people socialize, enjoy the sights, take pictures, and do gringo-watching.

The road that runs along the Bund is lined with banks, impressive foreign building. Many of them have been recently renovated by the government. And night they (along with those located on the bank of Huangpu) are lighted, and present a delightful visual experience to people strolling in the area, or cruising in boats on the river.