No one image captures the spirit and mood of Shanghai quite like that of the Bund. While the outlandish skyscrapers on the opposite bank of the HuangPu river proclaim the aspirations of Modern China, the sweep of neo-classical and art-deco buildings situated on the western shoreline tell a more complex story of the city’s fluctuating fortunes over the last 150 years. Once attacked for its representation of bourgeois foreign influence, this area is treasured once more following a transformation into the city’s most smart and fashionable district. At the far end, at the mouth of the Souzhou creek, lies a compound that was created in the earliest days of the settlement. Largely inaccessible from the outset and almost forgotten since the 1960’s, it was once the administrative and legislative heart of the Bund and surrounding area. This secluded gem is now the new home of Patek Phillipe in China.
This feature piece explores the history of the Former British Consul’s Residence and it’s transformation into Maison Patek Shanghai. Published in Patek Philippe Magazine Volume III Number 8, November 2012.
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