As you walk through Shanghai , it may feel as though you are entering a fair of world architecture or an art gallery of human civilization. In fact, Shanghai is unique among world cities in its variety of architectural styles. This variety reflects the wisdom and efforts of architects, engineers, and workers --both foreign and domestic--and is a precious legacy to the world.

Take a walk along the Bund, once the most famous street in Asia . It is a tree-lined promenade along the Huangpu River . The major firms of the Far East had their headquarters in the buildings facing the river. F irst among them is the former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, which after 1949 was used as the city Communist Party Headquar ters. It is now the home of the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. One of the conditions for the bank to move to this building was that they restore it to its original grandeur, which apparently was quite grand.