The Bund, Shanghai's famous waterfront promenade, is among the most fabled in the world. Neo-classical buildings lining the banks of the Huangpu River evoke the glamour of pre-war Shanghai, when traders from around the world would gather to seek their fortunes. Now, many of the historic structures symbolise the city's drive to regain its place as a premier gateway to the enormous mainland markets.
Among the heritage makeovers on the Bund is the Waldorf Astoria Club. Built a century ago, the stately structure at the southern end of the Bund was home to the Shanghai Club, the most exclusive British gentlemen's club in China at the time. Now it forms the heritage wing of the luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel which opened last November. Connected to a newly built 252-room tower by a courtyard at the back, the original 40 rooms have been converted into 20 suites.
'Back then, the Bund itself was very much China's front door,' says Peter Hibbard, the president of the Royal Asiatic Society in Shanghai who advised on the restoration.
When Waldorf Astoria announced in 2009 that it would open its first Asian hotel at the site, work was already under way to restore the building to its former grandeur. The structure was in good condition, so the refurbishment was a relatively smooth operation.
'Restoring it was not hard as many of the original features, the ceiling and floors had merely been covered up and not destroyed,' says Hibbard. 'The interiors were largely untouched.'
The Shanghai Club opened at the site of No 2 on the Bund in 1864. It was later demolished and rebuilt as the current six-storey building. When the club reopened in January 1911, it featured a 34-metre bar - the longest in the world at the time - a smoking room, library, dining room, billiards room, bowling alley and guest rooms.