Detail on a Colonial Building at The Bund 外滩
Shanghai is arguably China’s showcase city for colonial buildings, though Hong Kong could certainly give it a run for its money. Shanghai wasn’t called the Paris of the East for nothing. One look at the colonial buildings are the Bund and you shall see why. Practically all of the buildings along the Bund were from the colonial era. Each one of them was preserved or reconstructed depending on the state of each building. As of now, it is an impressive show of Shanghai’s colonial heritage.
Doesn't Look Like China at All
Most of these buildings were the result of the Treaty of Nanjing which allowed foreign powers to set up shop here in Shanghai, primarily the Americans, British and the French had their own areas or concessions in Shanghai. Not surprisingly, with the influx of foreign trade, Shanghai as a trading post and financial center grew over the decades. With China opening up to foreign investment in the 1990s, this only further fueled the boom that resulted in the megacity that Shanghai is today.
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