Random Notes on Shanghai Bund Buildings (Part One)

I remember seeing a saying somewhere: architecture is solidified music, and architecture is a history book of stones. This sentence has been fully proved in Shanghai Bund, which is known as the "World Architecture Expo". When I came to Shanghai Bund, from No.1 Bund to No.33 Bund, it was really like listening to a beautiful piece of music, which was brisk or soothing, and I couldn't leave. At the same time, every building here is a period of history, and the changes of their functions and the similarities and differences of architectural styles are telling the changes of the Bund that year.

The current name of the Bund is Zhongshan East 1st Road, which starts from Yan 'an East Road in the south, ends at Waibaidu Bridge in the north, and ends at No.1 Zhongshan East 1st Road to No.33 Zhongshan East 1st Road (in fact, I don't quite understand that some buildings have three house numbers, so No.1 to No.33 are not 33 buildings). There are many architectural styles, such as classical architecture, neoclassical architecture, Art Deco architecture, eclecticism and so on. Below, let's briefly understand the past lives of each building and the style characteristics of each building.

No.1 Bund

People used to call No.1 Bund Asia Building.

It was invested by Macbeth Company in 1913 and built in 1916, with reinforced concrete structure. It was originally rented for a long time by the British merchant Asia Fire Oil Company, so it was called Asia Building. Since 1996, it has been settled by the headquarters of China Pacific Insurance Company.

The building is neoclassical (or eclectic) with baroque decoration. The facade is composed of three horizontal sections and three vertical sections. The first and second floors of the external wall are built with granite bricks to form a base. There are doors in the east and south. There are four pillars of Onek in the east front door, two on the left and two on the right. There are small Doric columns in the inner door, and there are semicircular carved coupons on the door. There are balconies in the middle concave part of the third to fifth floors, and there are love Onek columns on the sixth and seventh floors. The whole building is magnificent, luxurious and elegant.

No.2 Bund

The original Shanghai General Association Building, built in 1911, was a famous club at that time with reinforced concrete structure. Later, it was transformed into a seaman's club, then into Dongfeng Hotel, and now it is a luxurious waldorf.

The building is neoclassical, with a three-stage composition on the facade. There are six Onek columns running through the two floors in the middle, and baroque towers on the north and south ends of the fifth floor. What surprised me most was the floral decorations on the window lintels and walls, which were complicated, exquisite and impressive.

No.3 Bund

The order of this building is a bit special. Facing the Bund is No.3 Zhongshan Dongyi Road, and the stone inscription is No.4 Zhongshan Dongyi Road.

Originally a favorable building, it was once used by Shanghai Civil Construction and Planning Institute, and now it is a high-grade shopping and consumption place.

this building was built from 1916 to 1918, and it is one of the earliest steel frame structures in Shanghai.

No.3 Bund is an eclectic architectural style. The facade is treated in three stages, and the eaves, columns and coupons are also baroque decorations, with the baroque tower pavilion at the top.

No.5 Bund

No.5 Bund was built from 1921 to 1925, with reinforced concrete frame structure. Originally Nissin Building, it was once used by the Maritime Bureau, and now it is a high-class restaurant.

This building is a classical style, which is a building with a soft style of modern Japanese western architecture and classical architecture. The facade is composed of three sections, all of which are built with granite. The overall appearance is not decorated much, which is simple and dignified.

No.6 Bund

Built in 1897, No.6 Bund has a brick-wood structure and is one of the oldest existing buildings on the Bund. Originally it was an auction house, then it was the Commercial Bank of China, and then it was used by the Yangtze River Shipping Company. Now it is a high-end shopping and consumption place.

The building is a Gothic revival style, with a beautiful arcade at the entrance. The windows and holes on each floor are made of sharp coupons, flat coupons, arc coupons and semi-circular coupons from top to bottom, which looks beautiful and smart as a whole.

No.7 on the Bund

No.7 on the Bund has also changed hands many times. It was originally Dabei Telegraph Company, and later it was used by the Commercial Bank of China and the Yangtze River Shipping Company. Now it is the Shanghai Branch of Bangkok Bank of Thailand. Built in 196-197, brick-concrete structure.

The building is in the French Renaissance style, with a three-stage vertical partition, decorated with a large number of Greek Ionian columns, and a pair of baroque black domes on both sides of the top, which is dignified and elegant. The most distinctive feature of Bund No.7 is a crimson Dapeng bird with human wings on the lintel, which has become a prominent symbol of Bund No.7..

to be continued