The original British Consulate was one of the first foreign buildings to go up in Shanghai in 1852, though it was destroyed in a fire and replaced with the current structure in 1873. Now renovated, it is used as a financiers' club and restaurant, No 1 Waitanyuan, which serves high tea. Also within the grounds are the former Consul’s Residence (1884) – now a flagship Patek Philippe store – and several century-old magnolia trees.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Yuanmingyuan Road

0.07 MILES

Like a smaller, more condensed version of the Bund, the pedestrianised, cobblestone Yuanmingyuan Rd is lined with a mishmash of colonial architecture…

2. Levant Art

0.08 MILES

In the Rockbund district, this commercial gallery is devoted to contemporary sculpture by Chinese and overseas artists.

3. Rockbund Art Museum

0.11 MILES

Housed in the magnificent former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932) – once Shanghai's first museum – this world-class gallery behind the Bund focuses…

4. Huangpu Park

0.12 MILES

China’s first ever public park (1886) achieved lasting notoriety for its apocryphal ‘No Dogs or Chinese allowed’ sign. The park today is blighted by the…

5. Art + Shanghai

0.12 MILES

This riverside gallery shows mainly local artists and is a good place to get a feel for the contemporary Chinese art scene.

6. Banque de l'Indochine Building

0.13 MILES

Built in 1914, this French Baroque–style building was originally the Banque de l'Indochine Building. Today it's a Chinese bank with a lavish lobby you can…

7. Glen Line Steamship Co.

0.14 MILES

This elegant 1922 neoclassical building served as the office of a British shipping company before being occupied by the Japanese during WWII and serving…

8. Jardine Matheson

0.15 MILES

Standing at No 27 on the Bund is the former headquarters of early opium traders Jardine Matheson, which went on to become one of the most powerful trading…