The Bund its name is Anglo-Indian and literally means ‘muddy embankment’ which extends from Jinling Road in the south to the Waibaidu Bridge over the Suzhou Creek in the north, the whole project of the cleanup of the Suzhou Creek is estimated to cost 20 billion yuan or 2.42 billion US dollar and by 2010 hopefully the river will once again be clean enough to encourage marine life back to the area, is on the western bank of the 114 kilometer long Hangpu River, a branch of the Yangtze River. The Bunk only got its flourishing development from the early 1800"s when he British set up their consulate and other buildings there after the Opium War. In the early 1900"s the Bund was full of buildings like banks, trading houses, clubs, consulates and hotels designed by architects from Britain, France, China, America, Russia, Japan, and others including Jews from various countries. The Bund is a record of architecture of the times from around the world, and many of its buildings were the best in Asia then. Once bronze statues lined the street, depicting colonial figures and other foreign dignitaries, but those were removed years ago, to be replaced by a clear fountain and the statue of Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai in new China.

Though the foreign banks have already moved away, the buildings continue to house the most powerful financial institutions in the country. The HSBC building, possibly the highlight of the entire promenade, is now home to the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank – at the structure's inception, it was said to be the most luxurious building in all of the Orient. It was also blocked off from most travelers. You can also find more than one hotel in the Bund Shanghai. The Peace Hotel and Broadway Mansions are interlaced with the grandiose banks, making them one of the most expensive places to stay in Shanghai. The Tung Feng Hotel used to be the Shanghai Club – at one time it was home to the longest bar in the world, only hosted some high-level British males.

Tourists who want to get different taste of the Shanghai Bund, you can take a boat trip down the Huangpu, all the way to the estuary of the Yangtze.