The Old Shanghai

The Astor House Hotel, the first modern hotel in Shanghai, built in 1846, with such prominent guests as Albert Einstein, journalists Edgar Snow and Nym Wales, Bertrand Russell, President Ulysses Grant, Charlie Chaplin, inventor Marconi, and future-premier Zhou Enlai. The hotel's history reflects the tumultuous history of Shanghai -- it was started by Englishmen in the International Settlement area, then transferred to American owners, used by Japanese YMCA during the wartime Japanese occupation, used by new Chinese communist government as a civic office, housed first stock market exchange in China, and now managed by a Chinese hotel company, offering lodging to visitors from the world again.
 

A view from my hotel room, awed by the heavy sense of history.

The Waibaidu Bridge, a landmark bridge symbolizing the Old Shanghai. The bridge is noticeable in the film "Empire of the Sun."

Once called "Paris of the East," Shanghai harbored diverse new cultural and art scenes, including jazz music.

Premier Zhou Enlai and foreign dignitaries looking at the Bund.

 

A variety of period architectural styles can be found in the old International Settlement area, Shanghai. It's like seeing likeness of London, Paris, New York and Chicago.

Nanjing St. -- a main commerce/nightlife street of the International Settlement district

The Bund during the International Settlement era.