you know ... i've always wondered ... what does the word "bund" even mean? i don't remember anything like it in english, so i thought it must have been a foreign utterance. and i've always felt that the word is a bit too funny sounding to the ear and even had a goofy tone to it.
but the word didn't matter. its' sound didn't matter. not even the meaning of what it conveyed matters. what mattered was what it consisted of and what it represented in the urban arena that was shanghai. i left the hotel and asked for directions on how to get to the Bund, and i told them i wanted to walk there, regardless how long it takes. everyone i asked looked at me with a profoundly dumbstruck expression on their face, thinking that i must be insane to want to walk that far.
but its only through walking that you really get to minutely observe the world around you. you get to see every interesting detail and every eye-catching event that would otherwise escape you mercilessly without a moments notice, if you hurry too quickly. undisturbed by their 'WTF" look, i eventually was given directions and i walked for about thirty minutes before saw for the first time the place i had been hunting for. and finally, from a distance, separated by a great river, i could see a luminous sight of lighted classical buildings.
after crossing the Huangpu river, i had walked from a ferry dock and took this shot showing modern shanghai, designed to transport pedestrians and vehicles from one bank of the river to the next, and proceeded to walk in view of the all lighted buildings that i saw.
several other surprises greeted me as i walked in that direction, such as this fluid piece of space frame roof construction below, resembling a slim white net on slim white stilts in frozen motion hovering above me like a skeleton of an amorphous cloud as i walked underneath.
it was obviously a very modern insertion into an otherwise historical context, and i had later learned that the entire Bund was renovated and refurbished from its previous state as a series of run down buildings in an unfortunate dilapidated condition to the contemporary and revitalised marvel that we see today.
extensive re-designing and re-construction works of the entire area by the bank of the river were carried out in a span of just twelve pressured months, in an unprecedented rush to prepare this stretch for the world expo taking place in shanghai this year. but instead of just polishing up an old forgotten look, the state government decided to give this place a complete and transformative makeover.
it would be turned into a vibrant district designed for the tourist's eye and wallet, complete with attractions, both modern and historical, to spruce up the appeal of the locale, and ts pretty obvious, they succeeded in their ambitious objectives.
this, ladies & gentleman, was The Bund.
and what an enlighteningly dazzling night it was.
this was obviously a collection of pompous classical buildings, birthed in stone from the country's enterprising past with its colonial western associations, centred on a stretch of road called Zhongshan Road, named after Sun Yat Sen. these were bold buildings with striking colonnades, decorated bases, domes and pediments, dramatic floral and human sculptures, and all the other usual design elements one would usually associate with the language of classical buildings, restored to its former pristine and imposing glory.
design styles here read like a who's who of classical styles which included Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, and even the relatively modern Art Deco style.
most of the buildings here primarily started out as institutions of international finance catering to the endless variety of businesses in the past, legal or otherwise, but they stand today as temples of money dedicated to commercial and retail transaction.
it was simply one famous brand after another, conspicuously western in origin, whose prominent brand name stood out glaringly, above the entrances from one facade to the next.
people spend time here. a lot of people. of lot of time.
i guess this setting was a physical manifestation of the feel-good atmosphere presently permeating the country right now, where everywhere you go you will see its citizens celebrating their new found sense of national and cultural pride through expressions of smiling faces and displays of ostentatious wealth. a nation, with a noble 5,ooo year old history, celebrating its arrival on the world stage, drowning in riches it once only dreamed of, and looking ever so optimistically into the future.
and what better way to celebrate this optimism than with the taking of a photo shoot session in this hive of human activity in celebration of a wedding for the whole world to see?
congratulations in order, i presume.
its a very palpable feeling, this sense of pride. and i guess they felt they had deserved it.and now it seems, its time to let the world know.
walking on, i notice appealing lighting attractions made up part of the strip as well, like this interesting wall of circular ring lights , changing colours gradually from one end of the spectrum to another. a myriad of brilliant ever - shifting colours certainly was a clever way to create a playful atmosphere.
from passionate reds to natural greens ...
... from sensuous blues to enigmatic cyans.
i kept on walking around for the next few hours taking as many photographs of the entire area as i could and enjoying the festive ambiance so prevalent in the dark of the night. people were out having a good time and i was obviously one of them.
as expected, i gazed at many of the majestic buildings here quite a bit and eventually my eyes were directed to the tops of these towers and i saw how the rich architectural styles of this vicinity was highlighted even there. the lighting in these places were really perfectly executed to bring out and focus the amazing features of each tower.
so vividly sharp and brilliant the decorative features of each element was, whether geometrical, flamboyant or cubic, each proudly stating its identity as an eventful mark in its history.
and as i walked along, haunting lighted figures with superman complexes would occasionally catch my eye. heroic salutes to communism, i deduced.
and then something even more striking catches my attention. a series of slender tapered triangular towers, closely arranged next to each other in a tripod from, creating an elegant sculptural composition of abstract form and texture, serves as a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the First Opium War,and it was christened the people heroes memorial.
essentially, pure white blades with their sharp edges slicing the night sky, in the presence of a lonely and serene full moon orbiting in solitude.
and these were the views as i stood the memorial, overlooking the river and seeing modern shanghai in all its dashing appearance.
and if its one thing i've learned about this amazing strip of redevelopment, is that here it seems, the concept of urban regeneration has also been adopted to create a sense of life in a previously delinquent site, but glorification and self indulgence were the key ideas behind this design imperative.
but hey, it works. life flourishes here too.
socially anyway.
at about 10.30 pm, i felt i had spent enough time here and i had started walking back in the direction of my hotel, across the river. i was going to call it a day, and i could see that the night had begun to fade into restful oblivion. the city was still undoubtedly energetic, but the crowd had lessened and i thought that maybe i should head back too.
and then a stray thought flashed in my mind.
there was one other building that i had wanted to see which i was informed was actually quite nearby. i wondered if i had the time or even the energy to walk some more, but i remember thinking to myself once that fatigue is a state of mind, and i could snap out of it whenever i wanted.
and i did. vehemently.
i had remembered reading about this interesting architectural hybrid of eastern design principles with a modern sensibility and appearance while waiting for one of my projects to be reviewed and approved by the local shah alam council. they had this italian design magazine there in the waiting area, and i picked it up, and as i was flipping though it, i saw this colossal, gleaming ivory box with an all enveloping clear glass skin and a reverse pointed arch at its top that composed its entire roof.
it looked like something richard meir would have worked on, with its signature geometrical vernacular cladded in pure white panels, interposed with expanses of clear glass. but it wasnt him, it was someone else, and i knew that because i was going to shanghai soon, this wonderful piece of work would be a must - see, and going at night to see its magniloquent appearance lighted up would have been perfect.
like icing on the cake.
it was called the shanghai opera house, and its reputation for a being a lively centre to encourage and showcase art and performance events certainly lived up to the dramatic purpose it was built for, architecturally speaking of course. and then i decided, i had better get there quickly.
i ran, i scurried, i took the train and asked for directions. before long i was there. walking up one of the stations i saw this building first in front of me, and then turning to the left, i saw my final destination for the night.
and it was breathtaking. incandescently breathtaking.
of course, i got closer. walked straight to the main entrance.
and as i stood in front of this grand, modern palace of the arts, all i could do was admire its appearance as a token of simplicity in its finest incarnation. essentially a huge box of white frames covered with glass, this beautiful opera house filtered light out of its interiors to the outside environment like a brilliant transparent jewel beaming out light from within.
a relatively large pedestrian walkway was situated in front of the complex and grand staircases leading up to its entrance divided the boundaries between the streets and its immediate premises.
a closer view of the main entrance hall, and i just how light glowed softly out of the hall and on the underside of the roof above. the soft curves of the roof were gracefully highlighted.
the left elevation of the structure, still clearly radiating its interiors.
the walls were punctuated with white staircases, jutting out from the glass skin periodically, forming part a secondary structural frame for the building for entry and exit points.
my last shot of this masterpiece for the night. and no longer could i deny, i was exhausted.
i had finally then decided i was done for the night, standing on aching legs and feet, i started heading back to the hotel. getting back was an adventure in itself, that's for sure. i had to haggle a ride back with someone on a bike to take me back to the bund area, cause it was already past midnight and public transportation had ceased its services for the night, then walked for about an hour or so in the desolate landscape of the dead night completely, before finally getting a godsend taxi to take me back to my hotel.
it had been revealing day, and i've appreciated every moment, but i'm glad i was back in my room, retiring for the night at 1am. tomorrow will bring back a reunion of sorts, and one im anxiously impatient for. after all, tomorrow i visit the reason this excursion to china came into being in the first place.
"a collection of unique modern and traditional pavilions from every corner of the globe, showcasing ideas and identities on an international platform for the world to witness, explore and appreciate. from east to west, the world was in one place,"
the world expo 2010.
and syl, i'll see you in the morning, you sweet old gal.
oh yea, i found what "bund" means .... with surprising hindi/urdu origins from north india, it simply means river embankment. well..you learn something new everyday. good night!
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