HSBC Building

The beginning

Why was it built here?

This was first and foremost a place for banking and office work. HSBC’s presence in Shanghai predates the present building: in 1874 the bank bought an earlier building at No. 12, later acquiring more land for its replacement. The broad frontage seen today is not the appearance of the nineteenth-century building.[1]

The opening ceremony in 1923 drew large crowds. HSBC’s archives present the new premises as an important stage in the bank’s development in Shanghai: a long-term working home and a public statement addressed to the city, its customers and trading partners.[2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

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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. 1874

   An earlier building before today’s landmark

   HSBC bought the existing property at No. 12 on the Bund. The three-storey building in the photograph belongs to that earlier stage and should not be confused with the new premises completed in 1923.[1]

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2. 1920–1921

   From a drawn elevation to a building site

   A Palmer & Turner elevation appeared in the press in 1920. Construction of the present building began in 1921. Comparing the drawing with completion photographs distinguishes the architectural proposal from what was ultimately built.[1]

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3. 1923

   The new building opens on 23 June

   HSBC’s archives record the opening ceremony and the crowds on that day. The new premises housed the Shanghai branch’s banking and office operations, and the main entrance facing the Huangpu became part of the Bund streetscape.[2]

4. 1920s

   The building enters everyday street life

   Two views reveal different contexts: close up, horse-drawn vehicles and people outside the bank; from farther away, HSBC beside the Customs House still under construction. The Bund skyline took shape gradually over different years.

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   View another historical image

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5. Wartime

   War changes the occupant

   During the war against Japan, the building was occupied by the Yokohama Specie Bank. HSBC returned after the war. The architectural shell remained while its users and the city’s circumstances changed.[1]

6. 1955–1995

   Also known as the Municipal Government Building

   Shanghai’s municipal government moved into the former HSBC building in 1955. It served as government offices for several decades. The government moved out in 1995, beginning a new phase for No. 12.[4] [1]

7. Late 1990s

   Restoration and a return to banking

   Shanghai Pudong Development Bank moved in as the building underwent restoration and services were updated; the entrance-hall mosaics were uncovered again. Occupation, refurbishment and completion of restoration were separate milestones: sources give 1996, 1997 and 1998, so these are presented as stages rather than one date.[1] [5]

8. Today

   Still in use, still worth a closer look

   The building remains in use by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. Compare its dome, stonework and entrance hall with the streets in the old photographs to see what has survived and what has changed.[7] [6]

Shanghai and the world

A pair of bronze lions connects two cities

The bronze lions outside the new Shanghai building later inspired the lions at HSBC’s headquarters in Hong Kong. The same institution’s buildings in different port cities acquired a recognisable shared symbol.[3]

The lions outside today are replicas. Distinguishing the sculptures’ history from the objects now on view helps explain how preservation, replication and continued use coexist here.[5]