Brighter, greener future for the Bund

THE conventional light bulbs along the Bund will be replaced by LED lamps before the end of the year to reduce power consumption while retaining the classic color temperature.

Shanghai began using high-power sodium lamps to illuminate the exotic architecture in the early 1990s.

The lamps have been a big success, lighting up the magnificent buildings every night, but unfortunately consume a lot of power.

“The Bund has become the most popular attraction for both overseas and domestic tourists, with the night tour of the Bund a particular favorites,” said city official Ding Qinhua.

An interactive path will be built on a section of the Bund with tiles that light up as tourists step on them.

The solar-powered intelligent path will be composed of over 500 tiles. Construction will start in September and is scheduled to be complete before the National Day holiday on October 1.

During National Day celebrations, a “lamplighter” will walk on the interactive path, light China’s first streetlamp, installed on the Bund in 1882, and then all the lights on both sides of the Huangpu will be switched on.

Lighting systems are being redesigned at many tourist attractions, not just the Huangpu waterfront.

New effects will be created along the river between Xupu Bridge and Wusongkou port at the mouth of Yangtze River within three years.

“Each section of the Huangpu waterfront will have its own color temperature and avoid light pollution,” Ding said.

The riverside area of the Yangpu District for instance will have lower color temperature to show the industrial heritage with dim, yellow lamps.

Xuhui riverside will use high luminosity with a modern ambiance of white and blue, Ding said.