Sunday 22nd October 2017

The sky's the limit in Pudong

Another weekend of extraordinary contrasts  This weekend has been one that I shall remember perhaps mostly for the differing images that it conjured up, ranging from the wide open spaces at Cape Nanhui on Saturday, to the teeming metropolis of downtown Shanghai today, and even that was far from uniform, especially with regard to the contrasting architectural styles to be seen on the opposite sides of the Huangpu River, with the stolid 1920s buildings on “The Bund”, the western side of the river, facing the extraordinary mountain range of skyscrapers across in Pudong New Area across the muddy river.

The (rapidly disappearing) wilderness at Cape Nanhui in the evening light was a calming scene

Sunset over the Nanhui wetlands

Buildings of different periods, each reaching upwards towards the sky

The stratospheric tower of Tomorrow Square contrasts with the gardens in People's Park

Amazon Water Lilies, Victoria amazonica, survive outdoors in Shanghai's muggy, clammy climate

The Lotus Pond was popular among photographers on a Sunday morning

Ladies were carrying brightly coloured parasols

The group walked slowly past the pond, showing their parasols to the photographers across the water

The Bund was the seat of colonial power from the 1850s, although most of the buildings date from the 1920s and 30s

The Fairmont Peace Hotel (1929) and to its right the Bank of China (1942), which was originally commissioned to be the tallest building in Shanghai

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building (1923) and the Custom House (1927) are two of the grand old ladies of The Bund

The North China Daily News Building dates from 1924

The older buildings along The Bund look out towards the river

The stupendous cityscape that Pudong New Area presents is in stark contrast to the 1920s architecture opposite it

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower has come to symbolise modern Shanghai

The Huangpu River's muddy waters wind through the city, dotted with boats