The Astor House Hotel, located on Huang Pu Road on the north side of Garden Bridge in Shanghai, was the first modern hotel in China's history and has hosted celebrities from all over the world. It also boasts the distinction of having hosted many firsts in Shanghai's history including the place from which the first phone call in Shanghai was made in 1901; the first prom in 1897; the first electric lamps in 1882; and the earliest Western circus performances in 1882; and the location of the first stock exchange (Shanghai Stock Exchange) in 1990.
Originally known as Richard's Hotel, it was established in 1846 during the Qing Dynasty Daoguang period, it was restored to its neo-classical baroque splendor in 1907.
Shanghai, the "City on the Sea," is the largest city of the People's Republic of China and the 8th largest in the world. On the banks of the Yangtse River Delta in East China, Shanghai is often regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China.
With a population of roughly 20.1 million people, Shanghai is the most populous, and well developed city in mainland China. It is also the world's busiest port in terms of cargo and third in container traffic.
The Bund is a district in Shanghai that centers on Zhongstan Road along the Huangpu River. The name Bund means embankment or quay that usually refers to the buildings and wharves in the area. It comes from the Persian word band, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms, bind and band, German term, bund, etc.). The term was brought to India (where it came to be pronounced as "bund") by either the Mughals at the beginning of the 16th century or possibly by the Baghdadi Jews like the family of David Sassoon, and thence to Shanghai by the family of Sir Victor Sassoon. |
