A Stroll Down the Bund

As mentioned in one of the posts below, I am noticing that Shanghai is a city of significant diversity.  According to my tour and travel guides, this is largely due to the sustained foreign influence that the city has experienced throughout its history.   As I have walked around the city, the different districts have clearly shown French, British, and other Western influences.  One of the most remarkable (and most recognizable) sights that I have seen was walking along the Bund.  The Bund is a collection of buildings along the coast of the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai.  There are over 15 different forms of architecture used in each of these buildings and they coalesce to form a truly magnificent skyline.

The Bund skirts along the edge of the Huangpu River.  If you gaze across the river you will see the eye-popping skyline of Pudong.  The Huangpu River separates Shanghai into the Puxi side (on the west side where I live) and the Pudong  side (to the east).  Despite its size and scale, Pudong is very new – most of the buildings are less than 12 years old.  If you had visited Shanghai in 1990, this section would have been little more than rice fields.

Needless to say, it was a great afternoon.  As I walked along the riverside, I was routinely asked by Chinese visitors if they could take their picture with me.  At first all of the attention went to my head and I thought that this was due to my striking good looks or witty charm.  Unfortunately, after some research I found that this is a common practice…nice…

Like any good Midwesterner, I have a distinct affinity for Mountain Dew.  I have not found it since I have been in China, but saw it being sold at a little kiosk on the Bund.  I quickly bought one for 2 Yuan only to find that it tasted more like Squirt than Mountain Dew.  However, I did appreciate the nuclear yellow-green color of the bottle!