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Hong Kong & Shanghai Tours
20 octobre 2016

Bund 18 follies

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When recently visiting Bund 18, I was impressed by French chef Joel Robuchon's bakery on the ground floor. Inside, most products, like sandwiches or cakes are delicately prepared, showing high quality and surprisingly affordable. A croissant would sell at 15 yuan only and a tart at less than 30, a far better price for value than in other fashionable shops. This new venue is one of the surprises of Bund 18! So let me introduce this amazing place. 

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History 

FullSizeRenderBund 18 was built in 1923, designed by architect Tug Wilson and ordered by Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. This bank is the oldest foreign bank in Shanghai, operating there since 1853! As many banks on the Bund, the owners took advantage of the opium trade and later from the real estate investments in booming 1920s Shanghai. At the end of the 1920s, almost every single country was representated on the Bund, a bit like in today's New York Wall Street. Shanghai was actually already competing with the famous American city at that time for the title of the most economically dynamic and attractive location. The change in political landscape during Mao era, however, froze the building in time for more than fifty years. Although it was used by various government offices, it was actually falling into pieces. Its renovation only started in 2004, together with the revival of the Bund. Italian designer Filippo Gabbiani led the project. 

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When entering Bund 18 today, one is surprised by the light, delicate though flourish fragrance. Like in a five stars hotel, nearby Peace Hotel for instance, a special perfume has been created, its recipe kept secret, to give guests the distinctive feeling of being familiar to the place, cultivate memories and entertain the impression of returning home after an afternoon of shopping. For a while, one could enjoy the sound of live classical music coming from the small balcony near the entrance, whîle having a nice cup of Swiss chocolate in the lobby, Hanging at the doorway ceiling, red Murano glass chandeliers remind us with the designer's Venitian origins (his family bought Marco Polo's house in Venice). The mosaics of the floor are original, also restored by Venetian craftsmen. Then, as one heads  for the elevators, one notices the wonderful staircase balustrade on the left. It also dates from the original bank. No wonder, the renovation work was granted the UNESCO Heritage Renovation Award as one of the best exemples of combination between former glories and the latest trends. 

Getting crazy

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Most fascinating about Bund 18 is its ability to keep transforming itself. It is like Shanghai, a chameleon building, having its art galleries in perpetual move and changing regularly the activities within the different floors. A symbol of this modernity can be found with the long sculpture by controversial artist Ai Waiwei, right in front of the elevators. Ai Waiwei is known in the West for posting videos of himself standing naked on Tiananmen Square or filming his guards when at house arrest. His provocative style got himself into trouble many times with the Chinese authorities, since he uses his popularity to denounce corruption. However, this unusual citizen refused many times to leave China, claiming his love for the country and Chinese culture and prefering to raise conscientiousness from inside. Released from house custody, he was immediately accused of fraud by the tax administration! However, he still sells art in Bund 18, right in the heart of China's largest city! 

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A couple of years back, I accidentally attended a most unusual exhibition on the ground floor, as one of the shops was under  renovation. This was organized by Shanghai based street art expert Magda Denysz, and named “Look through Shanghai”. Artists from New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong had been invited to make this available space a shining mirror of the world street art. During the two weeks of this great ephemeral expo, you had the impression that this usually luxurious space had been turned into a plain concrete artist’s apartment of one of New York‘s alternative districts. Amazing experience! Today, in the same place now, a luxury bag shop displays Yves Saint Laurent or Gucci, reflecting the new Bund economic model. Most buildings actually get revenues from street level luxury industry, like expansive watches or leather bags. Trendy galleries or restaurants are most often situated in the middle floors and bars with views on the roof. This pattern is almost the same on the whole Bund as the attempt of the city to re attract the banks in the 1990 was stopped by the Asian financial crisis.

Piano and roof tops

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Interesting enough, in the same shop where you can buy (or torture yourself with not being able to afford) bags, you strangely find an old Steinway piano manufactured in 1866 in New York. Although this one is out of key, one of my visitors surprised me with sitting and playing "The Moonlight Sonate" by Debussy. If you saw "The Empire of the Sun", the 1987 Spielberg movie telling about a young English boy detained in Shanghai camps by the Japanese, you will probably remember this tune, as it is often used in the film staging the end of the colonial privileges. This performance was unexpected and my visitor was not aware of the connection between the melody and Shanghai. A unique moment!

Going back to the top floors, expat families are familiar the 6th floor French restaurant Mr and Mrs Bund, operated since 2009, by French chef Paul Pairet! Then the legendary Bar Rouge on top of Bund 18 is one of the most popular venues for young (or less young including me) people on the Bund. Apart from weekends, the most popular night at Bar rouge is Thursday lady's Night. In such an international city where loads of short-time assignment and sometimes single businessmen or internships, this kind of opportunities is rarely missed! Old timers like me, however, prefer enjoying sunsets at happy hour time with good friends! 

Here ends my visit of one of the most interesting and also exciting buildings on the Bund. It is a perfect symbol for an ever changing and surprising city. Hope to see you there next time!

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