The Bund’s Best-Kept Historical Secrets

Every visitor to Shanghai has a mental postcard of The Bund. That sweeping curve of neoclassical and art deco grandeur, facing off against the futuristic skyline of Pudong, is one of the world’s most iconic urban tableaus. You stroll along Zhongshan Road, feel the river breeze, and snap the compulsory photo. But what if I told you that you’re only seeing half the picture? Beneath the polished granite and behind the famous facades lies a parallel world of hidden histories, whispered rivalries, and forgotten chapters. This is not just a promenade; it’s a palimpsest, and its best stories are the ones you have to dig for.

Beneath Your Feet: The Ghost River and the Secret Tunnels

Let’s start with the very ground you walk on. The wide, elegant Bund you see today is a massive reclamation project. In the 19th century, the Huangpu River lapped much closer to the buildings. A foul-smelling, tidal creek called Yangjingbang (later known as the "French Creek") actually divided the British and French concessions right where the iconic Waitanyinxiang (the Bund Bull) now stands.

The Underground Passage of Power

But the real secrets are deeper. Many of the grand banks and clubs were connected by a network of underground tunnels. The most famous ran beneath the former Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Building—now the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank headquarters at No. 12. This tunnel was said to allow VIPs and, more importantly, gold bullion, to move securely between the bank’s vaults and the riverfront. Rumor has it that some tunnels even connected to the nearby Cathay Hotel (now Fairmont Peace Hotel) for discreet, high-stakes meetings. While most are sealed, their existence hints at a clandestine city operating below the bustling surface.

Architectural Ciphers: Symbols in Stone and Steel

Every building on The Bund has a famous story. But look closer. The architecture is a coded language of global ambition, cultural fusion, and sometimes, sheer defiance.

The HSBC Building’s Lost Mosaics

Step into the octagonal rotunda of No. 12. Gaze up. The magnificent mosaic ceiling depicts allegorical figures representing the eight cities where HSBC had major branches: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, New York, Paris, Bangkok, and Calcutta. For decades after the bank’s departure in the 1950s, these mosaics were painted over, hidden from view—a symbolic erasure of global finance. Their spectacular restoration in the 1990s revealed not just art, but a reclaimed narrative. It’s a secret that was hidden in plain sight for a generation.

The Sassoon House’s Personal Pyramid

The green pyramidal roof of the former Sassoon House (now the Fairmont Peace Hotel) is its signature. For its builder, the real estate tycoon Sir Victor Sassoon, this was more than design. A Baghdadi Jew whose family had lived across the Diaspora, Sassoon was fascinated by his own heritage. The pyramid is widely interpreted as a personal nod to his Middle Eastern roots, a permanent marker of identity atop his commercial empire. Inside, the original Jazz Bar was a segregated secret: a space where the city’s elite, regardless of nationality, mingled in ways the world outside wouldn’t yet allow.

The Human Tapestry: Stories in the Shadows

History is made of people, and The Bund was a magnet for legends, outcasts, and visionaries.

The "Number One" of the Customs House

The clock tower of the Customs House (No. 13), nicknamed "Big Ching," is a Bund landmark. But few know about the extraordinary man who once ran the place: Sir Robert Hart. As the Inspector-General of China’s Imperial Maritime Customs Service from 1863 to 1911, Hart was a unique figure—a foreigner in the employ of the Qing government. From his office on The Bund, he built a modern customs service that was arguably China’s most efficient and honest institution, funding the very government that was crumbling around him. His story is one of paradoxical loyalty and immense, behind-the-scenes power.

The Refugee Haven at the Metropole

During World War II, The Bund became a tense frontier. The most poignant secret lies in the former Metropole Hotel (now part of the Peace Hotel complex). It served as a designated refugee shelter for thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Europe, who found a precarious sanctuary in Shanghai’s "Designated Area for Stateless Refugees" in Hongkou. For many, their first glimpse of uncertain safety was the imposing skyline of The Bund from the river.

The Modern Mysteries: Cold War Drops and Contemporary Codes

The intrigue didn’t end with the 1949 revolution. During the Cold War, The Bund, with its mix of foreign consulates and busy waterfront, was a prime espionage hub. Dead drops were made in phone booths near the public gardens. Intelligence was exchanged in the shadows of the monuments. The former British Consulate compound, set back from the main strip, was a hive of diplomatic and, undoubtedly, clandestine activity. This layer of history is the hardest to trace, existing only in declassified files and the memories of a fading generation of spies.

Today, the secrets have evolved. The "Bund 18" project transformed the old Chartered Bank building into a temple of luxury, but preserved a hidden, stunningly restored interior courtyard few visitors venture into. The Rockbund area, at the northern end, is a deliberate archaeological project, peeling back layers to expose the very foundations of old Shanghai. The latest "secret" is the Bund Finance Center’s "Art Deco"-inspired new structures, which use modern materials to create a dialogue with the past—a code for the 21st century.

So, the next time you walk The Bund, don’t just look across the river. Look down. Look up. Touch the walls. Imagine the ghost river, the clinking of gold in underground passages, the whispers of tycoons and spies, the hopeful eyes of refugees, and the quiet determination of a man like Robert Hart. Each facade is a book cover; step inside, ask questions, and you begin to read the thrilling, complex, and utterly human story of modern Shanghai itself. The greatest secret of The Bund is that its history is not frozen—it’s a living, breathing narrative waiting for you to listen.