1921 (Taisho 10) Thursday, May 5 HSBC building construction begins in the Shanghai Joint Concession. The ceremony began at noon and was attended by 600 people including HSBC President George Edkins and Hong Kong Governor Edward Stubbs. The building is still popular as a tourist attraction in Shanghai.
The author of this blog was stationed in Shanghai during his time at Mitsui & Co., and often visited Wainan. The former HSBC Shanghai Branch Building is one of the most solemn and impressive buildings in the world. In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party occupied Shanghai, but surprisingly, HSBC continued to operate in Shanghai until 1955. However, it was finally transferred to the Shanghai Municipal Government and became the Shanghai Municipal People’s Assembly Building. Since 1997, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank has moved in.
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