Shanghai is a cultural city with a long history. It not only has rich natural scenery, but also has many famous cultural landscapes. According to an earlier source, as of the end of 2003, Shanghai had 16 national key cultural relics protection units, 114 municipal cultural relics protection units, 29 memorial sites, and 14 protection sites. To this day, a number of historic sites and distinctive gardens dating back to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in our country are still preserved.

Monument to the May 30th Movement (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Reporters have visited this city many times over the past few decades, but no matter which time they visit, it would be impossible to browse so many scenery in a short period of time. Therefore, every time reporters visited Shanghai for decades, if they had enough time, they would always use their cameras to capture glimpses of some famous landscapes in the city of Shanghai during limited sightseeing. Several important trip memories are recorded here.

Statue of Chen Yi on the Bund (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

I remember when I came to Shanghai on May 17, 2005, the first thing I visited was the Memorial Hall of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China at No. 374 Huangpi South Road, Shanghai. The architectural style of this Shikumen building, a typical residential building in Shanghai in the 1920s, is a combination of Chinese and Western styles. It records a glorious history of the birth of the Communist Party of China that will be remembered by future generations forever.

Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of China (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Although this is my fifth time in Shanghai, due to the long span of time, I feel that it has changed a lot every time I come. Especially this time in Shanghai. Suddenly I found that many high-rise buildings had been uprooted on the flat ground. There are also modern architectural landscapes such as the Shanghai Grand Theater and the May 30th Movement Monument, which fully reflect the style of Shanghai's modern metropolis. But the more I did this, the more I wanted to see famous cultural monuments, so I came to Jing 'an Temple, which was built during the Three Kingdoms period.

Shanghai Grand Theater (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Jing 'an Temple, formerly known as Hudu Zhongyuan Temple, was built in the tenth year of the Wu Chi Bird of the Three Kingdoms (AD 247). It is one of the earliest temples in Shanghai. By the Tang Dynasty, due to the prevalence of Zen, it was once changed to "Yongtai Zen Temple". Jing 'an Temple was first named in 1008 AD and has not changed so far. Because the former site was located on the riverside of the Wusong River (i.e. Suzhou River), and the waves were crashing, there was a danger of collapse. In the ninth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1216), the temple monk Zhong Yi chose the site of the boiling well bank of Lupu and built another new temple. As a result, there was a famous Jing 'an ancient temple located on what is now Nanjing West Road and Huashan Road. In 1983, Jing 'an Temple was identified by the State Council as one of the key Buddhist temples in Han areas across the country.

Shanghai Jing 'an Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Since this is my first time visiting Jing 'an Temple, the architectural style of Jing' an Temple is somewhat different from the traditional Chinese temple architecture you imagined. Perhaps influenced by the architectural atmosphere of the surrounding downtown area, I always feel that the buildings of Jing 'an Temple are a bit modern.

Mani Hall of Jing 'an Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Walking into the gate of Jing 'an Temple, you will find that the treasure tripod of an ancient Jing' an Temple in the center of the spacious temple stands particularly eye-catching. The halls on both sides are majestic, and one of them, the Mani Hall, attracts many devout worshippers.

Jing 'an Temple Bell Tower (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The bell tower and the drum tower are separated on both sides of the gate, and several wing rooms on one side of the temple lead to the depths of the temple. Leave Jing 'an Temple and head to the next famous destination, the Bund, Shanghai.

Overlooking Jing 'an Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The Bund is the most characteristic Shanghai landscape. Whether it is day or night, its extraordinary scenery always attracts tourists with its special charm. As the Bund faces the Huangpu River, it backs against a complex of buildings with rigorous shapes and different styles. Its unique geographical location and its influence on Shanghai and even China in the field of economic activities over the past century make it rich in cultural connotations. The river surface, long embankment, green belt and beautiful buildings on the Bund constitute a unique street view on the Bund in Shanghai.

Looking at Pudong from the Bund (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

On the observation deck on the Bund, countless tourists looked with interest into the modern Shanghai Pudong landscape such as the Oriental Pearl River across the Huangpu River. The ships coming and going from the Huangpu River are a beautiful scenery that cannot be seen enough.

Street View on the Bund (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Strolling through the Bund has pleasing views on both sides. In particular, the encounter between a newly married couple taking wedding photos attracted the attention of tourists. On one side of the field of vision are the flowing Huangpu River and the city appearance of Pudong. On the other side are dozens of towering buildings, forming a classical architectural art symphonic poem with different styles.

Cruise ship in the Huangpu River (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After Shanghai was turned into a commercial port in 1846, after about a century of construction, it started from Waibaidu Bridge in the north and reached Jinling East Road in the south. On this arc that is only three miles long, 52 buildings of various styles stood row upon row. Buildings, including British, French, Spanish, Greek, Renaissance, etc.

Corner of the Bund Green Belt (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

From an architectural point of view, although these buildings with Western retro architectural styles on the Bund did not come from a single designer or were not built in a single period, their architectural style is basically unified, and the entire architectural outline is also coordinated. Therefore, it has become one of the landmark architectural complexes in Shanghai with the "World Architecture Expo". A beautiful skyline is drawn on the west bank of the Huangpu River. In 1996, the Bund Building Complex was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council.

Famous Historical Building 1 (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The Bund is also a microcosm of Shanghai's history. The famous Dongfeng Hotel used to be the famous Shanghai Headquarters in the Far East. This is a typical British classical building. It has the longest bar at the time, with a bar cabinet measuring 110.7 feet long.

Famous Historical Building 2 (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

No. 12 on the Bund is a dome-shaped building in imitation of ancient Greece that used to be the home of HSBC. It was built in 1923, when the British once called it "one of the most luxurious buildings from the Suez Canal to the Bering Strait in the Far East."

Famous historical building 3 (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After liberation, it became the seat of the Shanghai City People's Government. The building with a bell tower at the top of the roof is the famous Customs Building, built in 1927. The hour hand can be seen all around the big clock on the building, and the loud sound of the bell can be heard for several miles.

Famous historical building 4 (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The current Peace Hotel was originally the Sassoon Building owned by Sassoon, an American Jew. In order to show its economic strength, the Kuomintang government at that time decided to build the tallest 34-story bank building in the Far East next to the Sassoon Building.

Famous Historical Building No. 5 (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

During construction in 1934, Sassoon interfered unreasonably, saying,"When building a house in the British Concession, the height must not exceed the top of my pyramid." As a result, Bank of China could only build 17 floors, 30 centimeters lower than the top of the pyramid of the adjacent Sassoon Building, and the project was also designed and contracted by foreign investors.

Landscape inside the old dock (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Most of these buildings on the Bund were institutions used by foreign powers to plunder China economically. In order to let the world understand the history of these buildings, experts and scholars will rewrite the nameplates and hang one by one Chinese and English "ID cards" that accurately introduce their origins. The first batch of 23 historic buildings including HSBC and Customs Building were rewritten.

Taking a photo with Shanghai friends on the Bund

On March 28, 2021, the reporter came to Shanghai again. Shanghai friends took the reporter and his party to the new area where the Bund has now been extended for sightseeing. There are both well-preserved old buildings and a series of landscapes such as old docks that combine new and old, which made the reporter eye-opener.

Overlooking the night on both sides of the Pujiang River (Photo: Wang Guojian)

Especially corresponding to the historic buildings in Shanghai's Old Bund, many modern building complexes have now emerged on the east bank of the Huangpu River. For this reason, the history and modern buildings on both sides of the Huangpu River complement each other, forming the modern city of Shanghai. The unique beautiful scenery of the city. (Photo and text: Feng Ganyong)