Shanghai is a city that never sleeps and for many, as thousands of neon lights flicker, shimmer and dazzle, night downtown becomes a brilliantly colored fairytale. The Bund is a prime example of Shanghai by night as both sides of the Huangpu River come to life with lighting showcasing the extraordinary range of architectural styles of buildings old and modern.
"When I was about 6, I remember it was a big occasion to go to the Bund to see the lights on the National Day," recalled You Jia, a 30-something accountant working at an IT company.
"As a little girl, I was amazed at the magnificence of the illuminated buildings. The structures were accentuated by the lighting. It seemed to me that the lights injected a new vigor into the grand buildings that had been standing there for more than 50 years."
The lights along the Bund were not turned on every night, so on National Day it was a special event and people from all over the city flocked there. "Those childhood events had a deep impression on me. I felt proud to be a Shanghainese. The Bund, especially at night, became a Shanghai hallmark and I felt I belonged here. I love to show it off to friends from all over the world whenever they come here," she said.
Display lighting from the West arrived in Shanghai in the early 1900s after the city opened as a commercial port to the outside world in 1843. "They were first used in advertising signs outside the buildings on Nanjing Road, imitating the advertising styles in big Western cities," said Tao Zhen, a designer and assistant director from the Shanghai Landscape Lighting Monitoring Center.
In 1926, the first advertising sign using neon lights appeared in the window of the Edward Evans and Sons Ltd bookstore on Nanjing Road East. The neon lights formed the shape of a typewriter with the English brand name Royal.
Since then the lights of Shanghai have become part of its trademark though during wartime the lights were darkened and remained that way until 1989.
"Street neon lighting returned to Shanghai in the early 1990s with advertising signs outside the buildings on Nanjing Road East and they were aimed at creating a prosperous atmosphere for those streets around there where there were so many department stores and restaurants," Tao told the Global Times.
In the early 1990s when there were not as many shopping malls as today, taking a stroll on the Nanjing Road was an eye feast for Shanghainese and for tourists, You recalled. She believed that without the neon lighting, the streets would have looked bleak and uninviting. "For small children the novel designs of the neon lights itself were fascinating."
As the lighting proved popular in the 1990s, the city government decided to illuminate some of the older buildings on the Bund, Tao said. His office on the 32nd floor of the Shanghai Guangming Building has an inspiring view of the Bund.
From a designer's point of view, Tao said commercial areas like Nanjing Road were given a happy feel with the twinkling style of neon lighting. "But this style of lighting does not suit the Bund. To create an impressive night view of those old buildings, we used flood lights to illuminate the exteriors alongside accent spotlights that highlight architectural details."
The combination of these lighting techniques gives observers a good view of the form and surface of the buildings. The lighting plans for these were designed to precisely suit each building. And so were the lighting designs for structures in the City God Temple area.
"When I was about 6, I remember it was a big occasion to go to the Bund to see the lights on the National Day," recalled You Jia, a 30-something accountant working at an IT company.
"As a little girl, I was amazed at the magnificence of the illuminated buildings. The structures were accentuated by the lighting. It seemed to me that the lights injected a new vigor into the grand buildings that had been standing there for more than 50 years."
The lights along the Bund were not turned on every night, so on National Day it was a special event and people from all over the city flocked there. "Those childhood events had a deep impression on me. I felt proud to be a Shanghainese. The Bund, especially at night, became a Shanghai hallmark and I felt I belonged here. I love to show it off to friends from all over the world whenever they come here," she said.
Display lighting from the West arrived in Shanghai in the early 1900s after the city opened as a commercial port to the outside world in 1843. "They were first used in advertising signs outside the buildings on Nanjing Road, imitating the advertising styles in big Western cities," said Tao Zhen, a designer and assistant director from the Shanghai Landscape Lighting Monitoring Center.
In 1926, the first advertising sign using neon lights appeared in the window of the Edward Evans and Sons Ltd bookstore on Nanjing Road East. The neon lights formed the shape of a typewriter with the English brand name Royal.
Since then the lights of Shanghai have become part of its trademark though during wartime the lights were darkened and remained that way until 1989.
"Street neon lighting returned to Shanghai in the early 1990s with advertising signs outside the buildings on Nanjing Road East and they were aimed at creating a prosperous atmosphere for those streets around there where there were so many department stores and restaurants," Tao told the Global Times.
In the early 1990s when there were not as many shopping malls as today, taking a stroll on the Nanjing Road was an eye feast for Shanghainese and for tourists, You recalled. She believed that without the neon lighting, the streets would have looked bleak and uninviting. "For small children the novel designs of the neon lights itself were fascinating."
As the lighting proved popular in the 1990s, the city government decided to illuminate some of the older buildings on the Bund, Tao said. His office on the 32nd floor of the Shanghai Guangming Building has an inspiring view of the Bund.
From a designer's point of view, Tao said commercial areas like Nanjing Road were given a happy feel with the twinkling style of neon lighting. "But this style of lighting does not suit the Bund. To create an impressive night view of those old buildings, we used flood lights to illuminate the exteriors alongside accent spotlights that highlight architectural details."
The combination of these lighting techniques gives observers a good view of the form and surface of the buildings. The lighting plans for these were designed to precisely suit each building. And so were the lighting designs for structures in the City God Temple area.