Steps in the making of a modern metropolis

Peter Hibbard will talk and walk you through the fascinating and incredible history and development of Shanghai over the last 150 years. We begin at the historic Astor House Hotel, From there it’s a short walk to a fascinating area behind the Bund, known as the Waitanyuan, which sustained a curious mix of missionary and commercial activity before 1949, and is today being redeveloped as an upscale retail and leisure destination. It houses some of the most revolutionary architecture of its time and includes a typical 1920s residential development. It’s then off for a stroll along the Bund and its backstreets, where each building tells its own remarkable story

The tour continues with a short ride to the heart of the former International Settlement, near the old Bubbling Well Road, to explore two blocks of historic residential developments from the 1920s/30s that have survived the bulldozer and display some remarkably well-preserved homes, which are now occupied by a multitude of families who make up part of its vibrant community.