Shanghai
2 min readShanghai remains the most important city with the greatest influence in the modern architectural history of China.Following the opening up of Shanghai as a commercial port，Western architects as well as Western-trained Chinese architects introduced the culture of Western architecture to the city.
Hence，from the second half of the 19th century up to the early 2oth century，these architects built a large number of buildings that were artistically brilliant and functionally effective，and also represented a complete departure from the traditional Chinese architectural system and its concept of architectural space.
In Shanghai，modern buildings with architectural styles representative of almost all historical periods could be found.Architectural styles range from ancient Egyptian，the classical pillars of the Greco-Roman era，Byzantine，Roman，Russian Orthodox，Gothic，Renaissance，Baroque，Classical and Neoclassical to the styles of modern architectural schools of thoughts，as well as traditional Chinese palatial-style and folk architecture.As such，Shanghai could be described as a vivid historical account of the architectural styles of the world.At the same time，these modern buildings also reflected regional styles from countries all over the world，including Britain，Germany，France，Italy，Spain，the Mediterranean region，the United States，India，Japan，Russia，Northern Europe and Islamic nations.Some of these regional styles were embodied in the overall look of the buildings，while others were featured in the use of decorative patterns，colors and details.
The origins of the development of Shanghai as a metropolis in recent times could be traced to the Bund-itself a microcosm of Shanghai，and hence a symbol of the city’s development.The architecture of the Bund has undergone three pivotal phases in history，namely the birth of modern architectural forms during the mid-19th century，the era of great prosperity of the late 19th Century and early 2oth century，and the flourishing 1920s and 1930s.Up till today，52 buildings showcasing various architectural styles including Gothic，Baroque，Roman，Classical，the Renaissance and a mixture of the East and West，still lined the west side of the Bund.Buildings most representative of the architecture on the Bund are the Bank of China，the Peace Hotel，the Customs House and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank.Although the works of different architects have varied styles，the architectural styles of these buildings still integrate seamlessly to etch out a beautiful skyline along the west coast of the Huangpu River，and thus it is renowned as”the exhibition of the architecture of 10，000 countries.”
