Shanghai Customs House (Jianghai Customs)

Shanghai Customs House (Jianghai Customs)

The Shanghai Customs House was originally demolished in 1891, and a three-story brick-and-wood building in British Gothic style—designed by a British architect and constructed under the supervision of Yang Sisheng, a master craftsman from Chuansha in Pudong—was completed in 1893. In 1925, the old building was again torn down and rebuilt, with the current structure being completed at the end of 1927. It stands shoulder to shoulder with the elegant and refined HSBC Building, complementing each other and is often referred to as the “sister building” of the HSBC Building.

The side of the Shanghai Customs House facing the Bund is eight stories high, topped with a three-story clock tower on all four sides. The western part has five floors, all supported by a steel frame. The eastern façade is built with granite, while the first and second floors of the western section are stone, with the third and fourth floors clad in brown face bricks. The front first and second floors are treated like a base, featuring rough stone walls, and the entrance is marked by a typical Greek Doric column portico. Above the seventh floor is a prominent projecting cornice.

The ceiling of the entrance hall is decorated with a finely crafted mosaic pattern depicting sails and maritime motifs. The upper part of the building exhibits features of Art Deco architecture. The clock tower's flagpole is positioned at geographic coordinates 121°29′0.02″ east longitude and 31°14′20.38″ north latitude, marking a key geographical point of Shanghai. It also boasts the most imposing presence among all buildings on the Bund. The clock tower, in Gothic style, rises ten stories high and houses a large clock manufactured based on the design of the United States Capitol’s clock. It was built in the U.S., then shipped to Shanghai for assembly. It is said to have cost over 2,000 taels of silver, making it the largest clock in Asia and one of the world’s most renowned clocks. The Customs House stands majestically along the Huangpu River, and its resonant, stirring chimes symbolize solemnity and duty.

Telephone

021-53824522

Transportation

Urban Sightseeing Tour Line 1 (Urban Planning Exhibition Hall – Urban Planning Exhibition Hall)

Attraction Location

No. 13, Zhongshan East 1st Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai