This gallery contains 13 photos.
Tsingtao (known as “Qingdao” today) is a rarity in the history of colonialism – in that it was a German colony. The Germans came late in the colonial game (in the 1890s); and they established a scattering of colonies in … Continue reading
This gallery contains 10 photos.
Unlike the rest of the cities on this second Grand Tour, Hankou / Wuhan has no Grand Hotel; or at least, none of the same stature. It does have two famous historic hotels, both of which were, unfortunately, no longer … Continue reading
This gallery contains 24 photos.
Wuhan is a triple-city, consisting of the European Treaty Port of Hankow 漢口, the ancient Shu 蜀capital of Wuchang 武昌, and the industrial heartland of Hanyang 漢陽. While there is little to see in Hanyang, a trip across the Yangtze … Continue reading
This gallery contains 37 photos.
Behind the Hankow Bund lies a wealth of Concession-era architecture, surprisingly well-preserved and many still functioning as their (close-to-) original purpose. As per the Bund, the documentation is poor and many of the buildings are not marked out; even if … Continue reading
This gallery contains 38 photos.
Aside from the Shanghai Bund, Wuhan probably possesses the best-preserved colonial-era Bund, or waterfront, in all of East Asia. I refer to the Hankow Bund, which, at 4 km long, is twice the size of the Shanghai Bund; and, paying … Continue reading
This gallery contains 17 photos.
In considering the major colonial treaty port cities of China, Hankow 漢口is often forgotten. Understandably so, as it simply isn’t as famous today as the likes of Shanghai, Tianjin and Xiamen. Also, Hankow itself is subsumed into the city of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 38 photos.
The city of Shanghai – as mentioned in my earlier post – consisted, actually, of three different municipalities with their own legal systems: the International Settlement, the French Concession, and the Chinese Old City. The Old City is ancient, having … Continue reading
This gallery contains 35 photos.
The French Concession in Shanghai was established in 1849 – the final concession to be established in the city – and it lasted till 1946, one year after the surrender of the Japanese in the aftermath of World War II. … Continue reading
This gallery contains 28 photos.
In the beginning, there was only the British Concession – or the British settlement, as it was known in 1842, when, under the auspices of the Treaty of Nanking, Shanghai was established as a Treaty Port. The settlement was built on … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Shanghai is one of those epic cities that once you get to know, you will find impossible to forget. It lingers on in the mind like an ex-lover, suggesting drama and romance. It is also one of the six cities … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 