Shanghai's cosmopolitan atmosphere today has its roots in a long history as a center for trade dating to 960 AD As a result of the Opium Wars in the 1840's, the British imposed the Treaty of Nanjing on China thus forcing China to open Shanghai up to westerners. Foreign interests quickly consumed most of what is now central Shanghai . It was in Shanghai that the Communist party was founded in 1921 and, in 1960, it was here that the Cultural Revolution began and its headquarters were established. During the Cultural Revolution the Red Guard began destroying anything that was not defined by the Communist Party as Socialist Realism, including anything foreign, Buddhist, or just old, like many of the Colonial buildings. Many of these things survived the worst of China 's growth and learning experiences, and they are there in Shanghai for us to enjoy today. The Bund is one of the remaining vestiges of Shanghai 's colonial period. Zhongshan Dong Lu Road , or as Westerners call it, the Bund, parallels the western bank of the Juangpu Jiang River . It was here that the European, American and Japanese built their banks, trading houses, consulates and hotels. Renovated by the Chinese as a tourist attraction and brightly lit at night it is a spectacular sight when viewed from the promenade across the Bund and adjacent to the river.