MyPlain

Category: Exploring Shanghai

  • Osmanthus: The Scent of October in Shanghai

    Every season in Shanghai has its own character. October has a scent all its own — osmanthus.

    You don’t always see it first. You feel it in the air: soft, sweet, and warm, as a quiet reminder that autumn has arrived.

    These tiny flowers hide among the leaves, but their scent travels far. It follows you along the streets, drifts through open windows, and turns an ordinary walk into something gentle.

    For a short time, the whole city feels wrapped in this delicate fragrance, staying with you, like a small, happy memory.

    If you’re here this week, slow down for a moment. Breathe in or look up. The osmanthus is blooming.

    In Chinese culture, the osmanthus is much more than just a fragrant autumn flower. It carries deep meanings of success, nobility, and reunion.

    The best-known idiom is “plucking osmanthus in the Toad Palace” (蟾宫折桂, chán gōng zhé guì) — a classical metaphor for passing the imperial examinations with top honors. That’s why osmanthus represents academic achievement, career success, and the realization of one’s ambitions.

    In traditional Jiangnan courtyards, osmanthus was often planted together with magnolia, crabapple, and peony. Their names form the auspicious phrase “Jade Hall of Wealth and Honor” (玉堂富贵, yù táng fù guì), expressing a family’s wish for prosperity and distinguished descendants. White magnolia blooms in early spring, while golden osmanthus scents the air in autumn — together suggesting “a hall filled with gold and jade” (金玉满堂, jīn yù mǎn táng). Here, the golden osmanthus stands for “gold” and the white magnolia for “jade.”

    Also, the osmanthus is humble. Its tiny golden flowers hide beneath the leaves, yet their fragrance is undeniable. It seems to tell us that true worth does not need to be flashy to be appreciated.

    Furthermore, because osmanthus blooms in mid-autumn, often coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is closely tied to family reunions and harmony. Its sweet scent, which can travel far, also symbolizes a good reputation and virtue that spreads widely.

    I always find it fascinating how a single tree can carry so many layers of meaning — from exam success to family blessings to quiet humility. Maybe that’s why osmanthus feels so special in China: it’s a scent, and also a feeling with many layers.

  • No. 5 The Bund – A Tale of Two Cultures in Stone

    No. 5 The Bund was formerly the Nisshin Building. Its facade is elegantly divided into a tripartite composition, blending Meiji-era Western-style architecture with traditional European classical elements.

    Standing in front of the building, you might notice the stylistic nuance between the bottom and top, which comes from its complex origin.

    Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1925, commissioned by Nisshin—the largest Japanese shipping enterprise in China at the time. Due to funding shortages during construction, the company entered a joint venture with a Jewish businessman.

    They agreed to a vertical division of labor: the Japanese investors handled the lower three floors and semi-basement, while the Jewish partner financed the upper three floors.

    This collaboration produced a distinctive architectural fusion — the lower section features a clean, minimalist aesthetic, while the upper floors boast elaborate classical columns, ornate window frames, and intricate reliefs. This blend earned the building the colloquial title of “Japanese-Jewish Style” architecture.

    The building’s history mirrors the turbulent 20th century. After the Anti-Japanese War ended in 1945, it was seized by the Chinese government as enemy property and repurposed as the office building for the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

    In the decades that followed, it served variously as the headquarters for the Shanghai Maritime Bureau, earning the local nickname “Maritime Building.”

    A new chapter began at the turn of the millennium. In 1999, an Australian entrepreneur opened M on the Bund on the top floor — the first privately owned Western restaurant on the Bund. With its sweeping views of the Huangpu River, it quickly became a favorite spot for dining and socializing, and helped bring new life to the Bund’s restaurant scene.

    Today, No. 5 The Bund is still a popular spot for international dining and leisure. But if you look up at its facade, you can still see the story it carries — the clean lines below, the ornate details above, and a history that refuses to be simplified.

  • The Original Story of Fangsheng Bridge

    If you’ve been to the famous water town, Zhujiajiao, you might never forget the amazing Fangsheng Bridge.

    It’s the town’s most iconic landmark. This five-arch stone bridge is the largest of its kind in the Shanghai region, measuring 70.8 meters long and 7.4 meters high. The current bridge was built in 1812, but its story begins much earlier.

    Legend has it that in 1571, a Buddhist monk named Xingchao from a nearby Temple called Cimen raised funds to build the first bridge at this site.

    Before the bridge, people had to cross the river by a small wooden ferry. One stormy day, strong winds turned over the ferry. Xingchao’s pregnant mother was pulled from the water and gave birth on the shore—but she did not survive. Xingchao was left an orphan. He was raised by the villagers and eventually became a monk.

    To honor his mother’s memory and spare future travelers from similar danger, he traveled far and wide to raise money to build the original bridge.

    The name Fangsheng Bridge, literally ‘Setting-Free Bridge’, also reflects the Buddhist practice of releasing captive animals—a ritual that was once held there.

  • No. 1 The Bund – The Asia Building & Shanghai Jiushi International Art Center

    Completed in 1916, No. 1 The Bund sits right at the southern end of the waterfront. It’s widely known as the Asia Building.

    Just a year before it was finished, the Yangjingbang Creek — the waterway that separated the French Concession from the British Settlement — still flowed past its south side. It was filled in to become Avenue Edward VII, which later evolved into today’s East Yan’an Road.

    Architecturally, it’s a masterpiece of Eclecticism. It has the formal symmetry of Neoclassicism, but is adorned with rich Baroque details — like the swirling carvings above the entrance and the grand Ionic columns. Back in the day, it served as the headquarters for the Asiatic Petroleum Company — a subsidiary of Shell and one of the major British oil firms in the region.

    Later, it housed various local institutions, such as the Shanghai Metallurgical Design & Research Institute and the Shanghai Silk Company, before being carefully restored in recent years.

    Today, it has been beautifully transformed into the Jiushi International Art Center — the perfect place to experience the rich layers of Shanghai’s modern history, making it a must-see on any Bund visit.

  • No. 2 The Bund – The Shanghai Club Building & Waldorf Astoria

    No. 2 The Bund — widely known as the Shanghai Club Building — is an iconic landmark with a rich past. Founded in 1861, the club originally occupied a three-story brick-and-timber structure. The current building was constructed between 1909 and 1911.

    Architecturally, it’s a masterpiece of British Neoclassicism. The main facade follows a classic horizontal tripartite composition: the base features Baroque ornamentation at the entrance; the middle section is supported by six grand Ionic columns and adorned with pediment reliefs above the windows; and the roof is crowned with Baroque towers at both ends.

    Inside, the entrance hall is framed by eight pairs of Tuscan double columns spanning the first two floors.

    On the south side, a magnificent 34-meter bar — crafted from Italian marble and framed by 5-meter-high oak paneling — became legendary. Back then, it was said that a visit to Shanghai wasn’t complete without a drink here.

    In 1989, the ground floor made history again by hosting Shanghai’s first KFC. The original long bar was dismantled, and the interior was reconfigured to accommodate the fast-food restaurant.

    In 2009, the building was reimagined as the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, and the legendary long bar was meticulously restored to its former glory.