What most people don't realize about The Bund is that Shanghai's most well-known district is actually deeper and more intriguing when you pull further away from the waterfront. The Bund only runs 1,500 meters, from the Baidu bridge (where the Huangpu hits Suzhou creek) to Jinling Dong Lu, but offers -- or at least will offer in the near future -- a whole spectrum of culture and nightlife destinations if one were to descend the ritzy patios and venture into the neighborhood itself.

Formerly an area that harked to the post-Opium War era of foreign commerce, The Bund today has been re-branded as a hip and sexy destination thanks chiefly to the efforts of a certain pioneering Chinese entrepreneur who bought and revamped 3 on The Bund. Others have followed suit, and several of these glorious and formerly dilapidated European buildings are being thankfully refurbished. The Bund's fashionable development is actually very recent; "3" is only four years old. Since its successful opening, high-end interests have proliferated and The Bund has provided tourists and locals alike with diversion and entertainment... for the right price.

Despite this boom of business interests and development, however, The Bund in the end feels rather homogeneous. As each new club or restaurant opens its doors and throws open its windows to that famous Bund view, each feels like a duplication of a familiar business plan, target group and focus, instead of real efforts to offer something different. Ultimately, The Bund today lacks the eclecticism that characterizes many other areas of Shanghai, and fails as a viable cultural and recreational destination once the dazzle of the waterfront becomes familiar.

This series of articles is being written to readdress The Bund as a complex neighborhood in waiting. There has been a lot of street buzz regarding the Bund recently, and I've decided to highlight it, with the hypothesis that soon Waitan will be a 'hood for locals and expatriate "locals" alike, and not just for tourists. Sure, arguably the area already is to an extent a place of drunken congregation for such a demographic. Or a place that said demographic takes their visiting clients to impress them. However, in terms of a place to go where you can have a comfortable glass of wine by yourself (i.e. my ultimate test for an F&B venue), is there really anywhere? Is there a more familial/local yet still glam venue on the Bund as of now?

The simple answer is: "Not yet. But soon."

There is excitement stirring just behind the waterfront. Forward-thinking restaurateurs like QianQian Wu, Richard Xavia, and Frank Steffen are opening brasseries and breweries - finally, alternative destinations for the gorgeous area besides blinged-out clubs and uptight, I mean upscale, dining.

The aforementioned places are the soon-to-open Hamilton House (named for the 1930s deco building it's in on Fuzhou Lu, just two blocks from the water), and The Bund Brewery, also tucked just off the waterfront strip on Hankou Lu, parallel to Hamilton House. Both are situated in old Shanghai Art Deco era buildings, with Hamilton House as one of two stunning goth deco towers at the intersect of Fuzhou Lu and Jiangxi Lu.

Besides these two venues, there are multiple contemporary art galleries just off the main strip, including Pearl Lam's gallery on Fuzhou Lu just across from Hamilton House. Pearl of course being the Hong Kong Empress-ario / hostess to Donatella (Versace) and Paloma (Picasso). Finally, multiple developments are in the works to further develop these lovely old buildings, including a long-awaited (and much necessary) revamp of The Peace Hotel and a buzzed about upcoming opening of The Peninsula Hotel.

In the coming months, Shanghai will see some serious developments just off the main strip. These, along with a few older hidden gems that have managed to maintain their unique and individual identity despite the furor of development around them, will be highlighted in this weekly series of articles entitled, "Reintroducing The Bund."

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