Culture Notes: The Bund and the metro

The Bund is one of the most noted landmarks in Shanghai. The bund is about 1.5km long, starting from the Yan’an east road in the south and going to the Waibai ferry bridge on the Suzhou river in the north. Since the late 20th century, many foreign banks and Chinese banks were founded on the Bund which makes the bund the financial centre of Shanghai. It has been given the name “Oriental Wall Street”. There are 52 buildings of various Western classical and modern styles. Most of the buildings were first constructed before the 1930s. From these buildings, you can appreciate and imagine the scenery of old Shanghai.

Shanghai has a very comprehensive metro system. Shanghai was the third city in Mainland China to have a rapid transportation system after Beijing and Tianjin. Since then, Shanghai Metro has become one of the fastest growing transportation systems in the world. It has been vastly expanded and it is considered to be both one of the largest and best in the world. Currently, 17 lines are in service, covering almost every area of Shanghai. So the most convenient transportation method in Shanghai is the subway. The first line in Shanghai opened in 1993. The metro system has witnessed the rapid development of Shanghai. Moreover, compared to the price in some other countries, it is really cheap, starting at 3 yuan for anything within 6 miles. People can buy subway tickets with cash, use a transportation card or just use an app on their smartphones. The metro system in Shanghai is very busy, especially during rush hour.

Shanghai Bund 上海外滩 shàng hǎi wài tān

metro in Shanghai 上海的地铁 shàng hǎi de dì tiě