Shanghai is the most important and influential city in the modern architectural history of China. Western architects and China architects trained in the west introduced western architectural culture after they opened their ports in Shanghai, and built a large number of artistic and functional buildings in the second half of the19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, completely breaking the traditional architectural system and space in China.

From ancient Egyptian architecture, ancient Greek and Roman classical columns, Byzantine style, Roman style, Russian Orthodox style, Gothic style, Renaissance style, Baroque style, classicism and neoclassicism, to various schools and styles of modern architecture, China traditional palace architecture and folk traditional architecture, we can find various representative architectural styles in various historical periods in Shanghai's modern architecture. Therefore, Shanghai's modern architecture has extremely rich connotations. Modern architecture in Shanghai also presents various regional styles, including English style, German style, French style, Italian style, Spanish style, Mediterranean style, American style, Indian style, Japanese style, hungry country style, Nordic style and Islamic architectural style. Some of them are reflected in the whole building, and some only reflect this regional style in architectural decorative patterns, colors or details.

The Bund is the birthplace of Shanghai as a modern city. Its development is a microcosm of the city's growth and has long been a symbol and symbol of Shanghai. The architecture on the Bund experienced the initial period of modern architecture in the middle of19th century, the prosperous period in the end of19th century and the heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. Up to now, there are still 52 buildings in various styles on the west side of the Bund, such as Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classical, Renaissance, and Chinese and Western styles. The Bund complex, centered on China Bank, Peace Hotel, Customs Building and HSBC Bank, has different styles, but the architectural style is unified and the architectural outline is coordinated, which outlines a beautiful skyline on the west bank of Huangpu River and enjoys the reputation of "World Architecture Expo".