During the early 20th century Shanghai was Asia’s party central; the “pearl of the East” attracted gamblers, gangsters, revolutionaries, adventurers, writers and other shady characters from across the globe. That party ended in 1949 with the Communists coming to power and while the revelers were made to leave, the buildings they built stayed behind. This is a brief guide to spending an afternoon seeing some of the colonial architecture that hearkens back to Shanghai’s sultry past.

Start off at People’s Square and check out the Shanghai Museum of Art, home to the former clubhouse building of the Shanghai Racing Club. The art can be hit or miss but be sure to head up to Kathleens’s 5 for lunch. Squint hard enough and you can imagine yourself sipping mint juleps on the deck with hot ragtime jazz playing in the background.

Next, head north-east to Nanjing Lu which was the main road through the International Settlement in colonial days. Originally built to connect the various race tracks, it was soon dominated by silk shops, luxury hotels, and huge department stores. Be sure to check out the “Big Four” department stores which when opened, were some of largest buildings outside of North America, the first stores in China to have escalators ect. While the shopping in the department stores haven’t kept up those times, the buildings are still nice to look at.

Continue east to to the grandaddy of Shanghai colonial architecture, the Bund. Former financial capital of Asia circa the 1920’s, the Bund is home to historic buildings of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco architecture (click on the picture above for a larger version). Most notable of these include the Peace Hotel, the Bank of China and Shanghai Gold Exchange. Contrast the historic buildings with the views of ultra-modern Pudong across the Huangpu river, and it makes for a fantastic glimpse of both old and new Shanghai, a perfect way to wrap up this tour.

Photos courtesy flickr (sugarwawa and d’n'c) and wikimedia

More by this author:

• The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens - February 1st, 2009
• Alternative Ski Resorts in Asia - January 22nd, 2009
• Chinese New Year in Taipei - January 22nd, 2009
• Kunming: friendliest, most laid-back city in China - January 20th, 2009
• Guide to Lunar New Year Celebrations Around Asia - January 20th, 2009

About the Author:  Steven is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, but has been living in China for the past four years. He is City Weekend's web editor.