40 years on

Editor’s Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

The Bund, the iconic landmark in Shanghai, has undergone a series of renovations since the 1990s to bring back a touch of its 1930s glamour.

Once known as the “Wall Street of Asia”, the scenic waterfront area is no doubt a famous tourist landmark. It is an excellent spot to catch stunning views of the Lujiazui cityscape and the bright neon lights that accompany it.

From 1989 to 1993, Shanghai authorities completed the first renovation project in the Bund to strengthen the flood-control capacity with the height of the flood fences increased by 1 meter. The length was expanded to 1,700 meters.

In 1994, government organizations began moving out of the area to make room for commercial enterprises to relaunch it as the financial heart of the municipality.

The 29 buildings located at the forefront of the river bank stretching from Waibaidu Bridge to Yan’an Road were in 1996 designated as a national cultural relic preservation site. A massive project, one which took nearly two decades to complete, was launched to restore their distinctive architecture, ranging from neoclassical to Gothic to Baroque, to its former glory.

From 2007 to 2010, a 33-month renovation project was completed with the new Bund unveiled before the World Expo in 2010. The project cost an estimated 5 billion yuan ($782.6 million).

The 11-lane highway in front of the Bund, which is home to more than 50 buildings of various architectural styles ranging from Gothic to Art Deco, was cut down to four lanes.

The popular waterfront promenade was lengthened to 2.6 kilometers.