Located at the junction of the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, the Bund Origin boasts the earliest batch of historical buildings in the Bund area. From a spatial perspective, it is the starting point of the Bund. Stepping into this area is like embarking on a journey through time, where you can experience the artistic and trendy vibe of Shanghai’s streets.
1.Discovering the City’s Cultural Genes in Architecture
Within the Bund Origin, most of the star architects who were active in the 1920s and 1930s, such as László Hudec, Robert Fan, and Li Jinpei, have left their legendary works behind.
Eleven meticulously restored historical buildings, including the Guanglu Building, Guangxue Building, Asia Society Building, Zhongshi Building, Ampere & Co., Yuanmingyuan Apartments, YWCA Building, Hami Building, Xiejin Building, Lanxin Building, and Zhenguang Building, are concentrated here, undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of the entire district.
A century ago, this group of historical buildings was the birthplace of pioneering cultures such as architectural design, cultural journalism, museums, and the theater industry.
In 2006, Pritzker Prize winner and architect David Chipperfield was invited to participate in the urban renewal project of the Bund Origin. Today, these buildings are not just readable plaques but spaces that can be personally entered, with vivid cultural content.
2.Experiencing the Artistic and Trendy Vibe of the Streets
Whether walking along Suzhou Creek or the Huangpu River to the Bund Origin, this area is like a hidden gem within the relatively dense building complex of the Bund, with historical buildings and small streets and alleys.
Three open plazas—the Museum Plaza, Xiejin Plaza, and Ahalong Plaza—along with multiple internal streets, form the network of public spaces within the district. These spaces serve not only as places for people to relax but also as venues for exchange and creation.
The Shanghai Bund Art Museum (RAM), located in the Bund Origin, is unique in Shanghai for its academic research and curatorial approach, providing a strong sense of experience with each visit.
Naive Ideal Country and Urban Archaeology Library often host fresh and interesting activities and topics.
In addition, the Bund Origin is home to art institutions such as the Ōta Fine Arts gallery. The recent exhibition “Yayoi Kusama: I Pray for Love Every Day” at Ōta Fine Arts has become one of the hottest check-in spots in the city.
This exhibition is Yayoi Kusama’s first show at the new location of Ōta Fine Arts in the Bund Origin, presenting 56 paintings and new manuscripts from the “I Pray for Love Every Day” series that she has been actively creating since 2021.
Yayoi Kusama: I Pray for Love Every Day
Date: Now until July 13 (Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00-18:00; closed on Sundays, Mondays, and public holidays)
Location: Ōta Fine Arts Shanghai (Unit QL106, 1st Floor, 78 Huqiu Road, Huangpu District)
Reminder: Admission to this exhibition is free, with online reservations through the ROCKBUND WeChat mini-program.
3.Watching Movies in a 170-Year-Old Foreign House
In the vicinity of the Bund Origin, there is another old building worth visiting—the Bund Origin No. 1, which was built in 1849. The old mansion was originally the British Consulate General in Shanghai and is one of the oldest surviving buildings on the Bund.
Recently, the national-level humanities and art project “ART SHANGHAI European National Treasures Exhibition” launched the opening of the Sino-French female film project of the same name, with the exhibition “Her in Creation” as its core chapter, at the Bund Origin No. 1. The project traces the practices and innovations of Chinese and French female filmmakers from the birth of cinema in the 1890s to the present day.
The exhibition features more than 40 heavyweight collections from the French Film Archive, one of the world’s largest film documentation libraries, including films, stills, and movie posters. In this old foreign house with a long history at the Bund Origin, precious gems of significant importance in the film history of China and France are presented.
Sino-French Female Film Project “Her in Creation”
Exhibition Period: Now until July 13 (11:00-17:00)
Location: Bund Origin No. 1 (33 Zhongshan East 1st Road, Huangpu District)
Ticket: 150 yuan/single ticket
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