North China News Building or the AIA Building
Another impressive piece of architecture along the Bund is the North China News Building. If you never heard of this company, then you are not alone. The North China News used to be an English language newspaper that was based in Shanghai. In the early 1900s, the building was erected along the Bund and also housed a small insurance company. Now, the North China News company is long gone but the small insurance company has grown. It is now known as AIA or American International Assurance.
China Merchants Bank Beside the North China News Building
That small company has now taken over the entire building and unsurprisingly, the building is now known as the AIA Building. The building sports a neo-classical design and it is quite elegant. It is around eight stories high and already towers above the surrounding buildings. It is interesting to see how similar all these buildings are, which is probably what this stretch of Shanghai is one of the prettiest in the country.
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