Yokohama Specie Bank Building

The Yokohama Specie Bank Building is a seven-story neoclassical structure featuring grand columns and detailed ornamental elements across its main facade along the Bund. The exterior displays carefully crafted stonework and elaborate window frames characteristic of bank architecture from that era.

The structure was erected during Shanghai's height as an international banking center and embodied the presence of foreign financial institutions in early-20th-century China. After World War II in 1949, the Chinese government transferred ownership to the People's Bank of China's Eastern branch.

The building displays a blend of Eastern and Western architectural styles that reflected Shanghai's importance as an international trade hub in the early 1900s. This mix remains visible in the design details you notice walking past the structure today.

The building sits along the Huangpu River on the Bund and is easy to find while walking the historic waterfront facade. It functions as a bank branch during regular banking hours, and you can view the exterior anytime you pass by.

The site itself holds a deeper history, as David Sassoon established his original structure there in 1845. This continuity of financial activity at the same location spans more than 175 years and remains quietly evident through ongoing banking operations at the spot today.