Shanghai Municipality Scenes

23. Peace Hotel at Night

Much of the past is changing with the revitalization of Shanghai, strongly encouraged by a visit of Deng Xiaoping in 1992. The next year the plans for the Bund were finalized and the renewal of Shanghai began in earnest. But their old buildings are newly appreciated, with even brass plates outlining their previous use, and efforts are being made to bring elements of the international community back to where it started in the Bund, as well as on the Pudong side.

The area does have a new vitality. Zhongshan Dong Lu has been widened to ten lanes to accommodate the increased Shanghai motor traffic, and the promenade along the banks of the Huangpu has also been elevated and enhanced as a place to view the ever-changing skyline of Pudong across the water. It actually is part of a new dike to protect the city. One only need look at a few images of this area taken in 1980 that are on this site to gain an appreciation of this new vitality. A decade ago there was little in Pudong besides warehouses, shipping facilities and small shops. Now it is the most extensive construction site in the world. Both sides of the Huangpu River reflect important aspects of Shanghai's heritage--its past, present and future.