Strollers get set, the Bund is preparing to reopen
Where does the word "Bund" come from? Stumped? It's based on a word in Urdu ("band") meaning embankment, levee or dam. When we moved to Shanghai, we had grand dreams of strolling down the city’s mythical Bund, taking in modern Pudong as well as the historic buildings on the Puxi side of the river. When we got here, we quickly realized that the short, overcrowded viewing platforms and then later construction didn’t make for an ideal place for a stroll. With construction wrapping up though, our stroll might just be around the corner.
Shanghai Daily reports that the once seemingly eternal Bund face lift is nearing its end and that the city will get its “front door back” on March 28.
Just in time for spring, the city is opening the new 2,000-meter riverside promenade as well as the underground roadways to cope with all the pesky Bund traffic.
Although the new walkway will be a vast improvement over what was there before, don’t expect the crowds to magically disappear. The new Bund area can accommodate up to 800,000 visitors on peak days although numbers are expected to level off around the 300,000 mark.
Want to see what the Bund was like before all the contruction? Although we can't lend you our time machine, there is a pretty nifty walking tour of the Old Docks in the south Bund that shows you a bit of what we're all missing.
