The bund,a symbol of Shanghai,is a must-see place in Shanghai.It is a showcase of the city’s semi-colonial past and its transformation in the new era.

The Bund is an Anglo-Indian word for embankment.In Chinese,we call it Waitan.It is about 1,500 meters long,running from the Waibaidu Bridge in the north to Yan’an Road in the south.

At the beginning of the 19th century,this area was a mere shallow waterfront.After the Opium War in 1840s,Shanghai was opened as a Treaty Port and the Bund area became one of the earliest foreign settlements.Many buildings were builtin the early 20th century and they used to house embassies,hotels,banks and so on.In the 1930s,the Bund was described the Wall Street in the Far East.

In 1990s,the Bund underwent a massive transformation.The promenade was raised prevent the city from flooding.Since then,The Bund has served as a central business district and a tourist attraction.Besides,it also offers visitors a peek into everyday life of the locals.

Just before 2010 Shanghai Expo,the Bund was renovated again.The renovation turned the Bund from a vehicle-dominated area to a pedestrian-dominated area.

Although the Bund went through great physical change,the skylines of this area did not change.As we can see,altogether ,26 buildings stand in a line,projecting an imposing city skyline.They were built mainly in the 1920s and 1930s,with the earliest in 1906.These buildings are in a variety of styles ,ancient and modern,Chinese and foreign.No wonder the Bund is known as a “Gallery of World Architecture”.When night falls,these buildings look magnificent and charming just like a giant crystal palace.

Besides,the Bund is also a traffic hub.There are many important streets here,such as Nanjing Road.It still serves as an important link between the north and south of the Suzhou Creek.In the future,the Bund will extend to the Nanpu Bridge in the south and the Yangpu Bridge in the north.

If we say the history of Shanghai is a mirror of the history of modern China,the history of the Bund can be considered the mirror of modern Shanghai.

In December 2017, Starbucks opened its big coffee restaurant in Shanghai. At that time, it was the biggest in the world, but in 2019 they opened an even bigger one in Chicago.
But he restaurant in Shanghai which is called the ‘Reserve Roastery’ and it’s located on West Nanjing Road (Nanjing Xi Lu) is still a marvellous place to drink a coffee or eat a bite.
The brand defines it as “a coffee theatre with a Chinese Spirit”. It is a venue with 2 700 square meter’s shop, which is 15 times bigger than a classic Starbucks’s shop (around 200 m2). This shop has 400 employees and can serve around 500 persons at the same time!
The store concept :
It is an up-market store with premium quality of products and services. There is an in-house artisanal bakery, a long coffee bar, a Teavana bar, a shop with clothes, goodies, food, Italian catering (in collaboration with Prince Bakery), cooking utensils and professional tools for coffee or tea making. The coffee Aficionado will also find rare products, such as « grand crus » unfindable elsewhere, such as Yunnan, a region best known for its teas.

TaoBao & Alibaba :
To create a real buzz Starbucks cooperates with TaoBao and Alibaba. They launched a special app that offers customers a nice and interactive way to learn about coffee and the process of coffee roasting. And it really worked because nowadays there are more than 4500 Starbuck in China.

The ‘Reserve Roastery’ in Shanghai is a very nice place to drink a coffee or to enjoy some nice food.


Xu Jin

ADD: 12 South Road of Xicheng District
Signature dishes: Hakka Cuisine, Bass wrapped in aluminum foil, Baked shrimp with salt

The shopkeeper of Hancang Hakka Cuisine Restaurant is a painter who used to be worked in Yuanmingyuan. He regarded this restaurant as one of his productions; walls in restaurant are covered with various Chinese characters. If you dine here, you would have a deep sense of Chinese culture. The transportation here is convenient, and the environment is ancient style. It can accept 400 people dining at the same time.

Shanshuijian Restaurant

ADD: 22 Longtan Road, Chongwen District
Signature dishes: Hotpot

Shanshuijian Restaurant was founded in 2001 in Beijing. Its elegant dining environment and delicious hotpot attract a lot of guests. The Chinese decoration style gives foreign tourists a deep experience of Chinese traditional culture and cuisine.

Since its opening, Shanshuijian has developed brand stores of 10 different styles, with more than 700 employees and a rich experience of the team reception.

The Top Dim Sum Restaurants in Guangzhou

There are so many to choose from, here is a Baidu map link to find one near you. Otherwise here are four safe and foreign-friendly picks with links to their locations on Google Maps.

• Guangzhou Restaurant CN: 广州酒家 – address: 2 Wenchang S Rd, Shang Xia Jiu, Liwan District CN: 广东省广州市荔湾区上下九文昌南路2号
• Jade Garden – Address: 太古汇 Tianhe Rd, Tianhe Center, Tianhe District. CN: 广东省广州市天河区天河中心天河路太古汇号
• Bingsheng Mansion CN: 炳胜公馆 – Address: 2 Xiancun Rd, Tianhe, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China CN: 广东省广州市天河区冼村路2号
• Taotaoju CN: 陶陶居 – Address: Beijing Road, Yuexi District. CN: 广东省广州市越秀区北京路惠福东路