Chartered Bank Building

The beginning

Why was it built here?

Maijiali was the Chartered Bank’s historical Chinese name in Shanghai, before the later name Zhada became more familiar. Explanations for the old translation vary; anecdotes need not be treated as settled fact. The building itself clearly records the bank’s period of business on the Bund.[2]

Designed by Palmer & Turner, the new building was completed in the early 1920s. Restoration in the early 21st century brought commercial and cultural uses. Bund 18 is now recognised for more than its former bank name: exhibitions bring new visitors into the historic building.[1] [3]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

One building, changing roles

History unfolds between the photographs

From earlier buildings to the one standing today. Captions distinguish photographic dates from publication dates; periods without reliable images are covered in the text.

1. Late 19th century

   The bank acquires its Bund premises

   The Chartered Bank used No. 18 before the present building. The old bank and the later classical façade should be understood separately.[1]

2. 1921–1923

   The new building is constructed

   The urban construction archives gives 1921–1923; other entries start in 1922. Sources broadly agree on completion in 1923. This account retains the construction period.[2] [1]

3. 1927

   Bank, newspaper and hotel share a photograph

   Plate 8 of Shanghai of Today includes the Chartered Bank, North-China Daily News and Palace Hotel in one streetscape. The bank is the lower building with the triangular pediment.[4]

   Enlarge ＋

4. From the mid-20th century

   Changing uses and names

   The building was also known as Chunjiang Building. Such changes show that a former bank address does not mean uninterrupted occupation of the entire building by that institution.[1]

5. 2002–2006

   Restoration and reuse

   Restoration and adaptation began in the early 21st century with Kokaistudios involved. The project received recognition in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2006.[1]

6. Today

   Exhibitions enter the former bank

   Shanghai’s official cultural event information continues to list Jiushi Art Space at Bund 18. Shared commercial and exhibition use allows visits planned around specific events.[3]

Shanghai and the world

A Shanghai bank and Venetian restoration practice

Kokaistudios combined conservation with new commercial uses. The international connection lies not only in the original bank and architects but also in 21st-century exchanges of restoration knowledge: keeping an old building in use requires balancing preservation and new needs in detail.[1]