Shanghai’s Bund and the French Concession represent two very different chapters of the same story — colonial extraction and colonial culture — and walking between them is one of the most architecturally dense experiences in Asia. This shanghai walking tour companion is paired with “Shanghai, China — French Concession & Wukang Road | 4K Walking Tour,” which explores Shanghai’s most romantic neighbourhood: the tree-lined streets of the former French Concession with their Art Deco mansions, boutique cafes, and the iconic Wukang Mansion at the street’s curvature.

About This Walking Tour

This 4K walking tour concentrates on the French Concession district — the area of Shanghai that was under French jurisdiction from 1849 to 1943 and whose architectural legacy of plane-tree-lined streets, Art Deco apartment buildings, and European-style villas survives more intact than almost anywhere in Asia. The video covers Wukang Road (formerly Route Ferguson), whose triangular intersection with Hunan Road is centred on the Wukang Mansion — a 1924 Normandy-style building designed by Hungarian architect László Hudec that is now one of Shanghai’s most photographed locations.

The broader French Concession walk covers Huaihai Road (the main commercial boulevard), the Xintiandi complex (a block of 1930s shikumen stone-gate lane houses preserved and converted to restaurants and bars), and the Tianzifang creative district — a network of 1930s longtang (lane house) alleys converted to art studios, design shops, and cafes. The video captures how this neighbourhood simultaneously preserves its physical fabric while functioning as one of Shanghai’s most active contemporary cultural districts.

The Bund, approximately 2 kilometres north, provides the walk’s urban counterpoint: 52 neoclassical and Art Deco banking and trading buildings facing the Huangpu River, with the dramatically contrasting Pudong skyline — including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower (632 metres, currently the world’s second tallest) — directly across the water.

Highlights of the Bund and French Concession

The Bund’s buildings were constructed between 1846 and 1937 by British, American, and European banks and trading companies — the material evidence of Shanghai’s role as the commercial capital of Asia in the early 20th century. The HSBC Building (1923), the Customs House (1927) with its Big Ching clock, and the former Cathay Hotel (Peace Hotel, 1929) are the most architecturally significant. The Bund waterfront promenade, reconstructed and widened in 2010, now offers a clear pedestrian route with views across to Pudong.

Yu Garden (Yuyuan Garden), in the old Chinese city south of the Bund, was built by Ming Dynasty official Pan Yunduan between 1559 and 1577. Its rockeries, pavilions, and ponds are one of the finest surviving examples of classical Chinese garden design in an urban setting. The surrounding bazaar area — with its zigzag bridge and Huxinting Teahouse on the lake — attracts millions of visitors.

Xintiandi, developed in the early 2000s, preserved the external shell of a block of shikumen (stone-gate house) buildings from the 1930s while completely rebuilding the interiors as a dining and entertainment complex. One building in the complex contains the site of the first National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.

A Brief History of Shanghai’s Concessions

Shanghai’s International Settlement and French Concession were established following the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking (1842), which opened Shanghai as a treaty port. The city grew into one of the world’s great commercial centres, with the foreign concessions operating under extraterritorial jurisdiction entirely separate from Chinese law. This created an extraordinary mixing of cultures — Chinese, European, American, and eventually Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s, who brought Bauhaus and modernist design traditions.

The concessions were formally returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1943 during World War II, though the Japanese occupation that had already begun in 1937 had effectively ended the treaty port era. The Communist victory in 1949 transformed Shanghai; the French Concession’s villas became housing for party officials and the commercial culture was suppressed. Since the 1990s, the district has been progressively rehabilitated and is now one of the most desirable residential and commercial areas in China.

Practical Tips

Shanghai Metro Line 2 serves Nanjing East Road for The Bund area. Lines 1 and 10 serve the Xintiandi area. Line 9 serves Dapuqiao for Tianzifang. China uses the yuan (renminbi); China’s mobile payment systems (WeChat Pay, Alipay) dominate — foreign visitors should register a card in advance. The French Concession walk between Wukang Road and Tianzifang is approximately 2 kilometres. The Bund is best visited in the evening when both the colonial buildings are lit and the Pudong skyline is illuminated. Mandarin is the language; English is spoken in most hospitality venues.

Best Time to Visit

April–May and October–November offer mild temperatures and the best conditions for extended outdoor walking in the tree-lined streets. The plane trees that line French Concession streets are at their most striking in late autumn when the leaves turn yellow. Shanghai’s summers (July–August) are very hot and humid.

Watch & Explore More

The full 4K French Concession walk is embedded above. Browse more China content at the @walkingtoursvideoscom channel. Related posts: Beijing’s Forbidden City and hutong walk and Hong Kong’s Central to Kowloon walk.