26 Nov. 2011: WEST SIDE AT DARK # 2 of 3

The pedestrian mall is Nanjing Road, famous for both high-end shops and touristy traps such as fake Rolexes or wheels to attach to your shoes! It ends at the Yangtze River, the centre of foreign trade and intrigue from centuries ago. The phrase "I got Shanghai-d!" comes from those old days when every kind of scam, fraud, gambler, pleasure girls, and government crook operated here. (Hmmm, has anything changed??)  Today it is a beautiful wide waterfront promenade with tens of thousands mostly ogling the boats and the spectacular other side.

But this side has its own history and landmarks. It's the Bund, a phrase that originally meant an embankment or berm. The river makes a sharp turn here and rice barges were towed by horses. There are solid ancient trading exchanges, art deco flourishes, iconic hotels such as The Peace Hotel (green roof) which has welcomed everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Queen Elizabeth to Bill Clinton. There's a huge bronze bull which looks identical to the one on Wall Street. There's a German-era Signal Tower which could be seen on both sides of the curve. All shapes of river tour boats. Mostly, though, there's a spectacular view of the other side....have a look at today's Blog #3.