The curtains drew back on Shanghai's front window yesterday when the city's best-known landmark, the Bund, reopened after a refit costing billions of yuan.
The iconic strip of colonial buildings has been a chaotic construction site for nearly three years as part of the city's immense development drive ahead of the World Expo, due to open on May 1, but yesterday it was mobbed by nostalgic locals and wide-eyed tourists.
'It's awesome. This is an awesome city,' one visitor from the US state of Nebraska said. 'We're here on a business trip and we had just one day left for sightseeing, and I'm just amazed. I'd never even heard of this place before.'
Even the weather - a highly unpredictable factor in recent weeks - decided to co-operate, as the riverfront promenade was bathed in glorious spring sunshine.
The riverfront promenade is now 40 per cent wider than before, and extended by almost a kilometre southwards to 2.6 kilometres in length. New fountains, floral displays and seating areas now line the stretch between the raised walkway and Zhongshan East Road, although the precinct's extensive shopping areas remain empty.
The four billion yuan (HK$4.54 billion) project involved digging a 3.3 kilometre double-deck tunnel to divert most vehicle traffic underground.
