Even for non-architecture viewers, this area gives a feast to the eyes. The contradiction between old and new superimposed on each side of the Huang Pu River. Although both sides have their own beauty, but of course each with their own different time line, now being exposed at the same time. It shows just how two major economic developments have put on the weight of growth and capitals in the city of Shanghai in two different eras yet, it resulted almost the same effect even if it is in a different scale.

The old buildings mostly were built in the 1920s in the west, while the east side (Pu Dong) is still until now being developed. More of the architectural styles though unfortunately were adopted from foreign architects, thus leaving the Jin Mao tower as the only office tower adopting the Chinese essential architecture. And it also resulted in the alienation of the east side to the heritage buildings on the east.

It is fantastic to witness this fact, that both can co-exist in the same time frame. A slight criticism will be saying that the reason those old buildings are around is because it is quite expensive to tear them down and built something new on the whole site, but some facts also concluded that it is in the trend in China in the last decade to preserve these beautiful artifacts. They are considered as a generator for the area as well, when put in the right redevelopment project, most of them turned out to be profitable for the developer and business.