It is now the China Merchants Bank, Formly named The Bank of Taiwan, which was a Japanese private joint banking venture, first opened a branch in Shanghai in 1911. The Japanese, who had occupied the island of Taiwan after the Sino Japanese War in 1895, continued to do so until the end of the Pacific War in 1945. A couple of startling discoveries were made when foundation work on the new building began in 1924. A mouldy old coffin, estimated to be 200 years old, was uncovered, as was a section of brick wall four feet wide and elve feet deep. The wall baffled the experts who later came to the conclusion that some form of river wall had been in existence before the British arrived. This was more than likely the case as the course and dimensions of the Huangpu River had historically been subject to rapid change. The walls and main entrances of the banking hall were in Italian marble and the floors originally had a rubber tile finish.

Today, apart from the intricate marble balustrades on the mezzanine floor, the original marble in the banking hall has been replaced. Presumably the original marble survived only on account of the expense or the difficulty of recreating it. The two floors above the main banking hall were originally rented out, whilst the top floor provided living quarters and recreational rooms for bank staff. Scars on the Japanese granite face of this neo-Crecian building tell of the harsh treatment it received at the hands of workers whilst‘restoring’the surface in 1997.

Photo taken on May 19, 2014 shows the Bund No. 16.

The bank had temporarily occupied the northern part of the ground floor of the North China Daily News Building next door whilst their new premises were being erected. The architects Lester, Johnson and Morriss moved their offices to the new bank building after it was completed in 1927.

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