Even if It is Just a Lit-Up Exterior of Someone Else's Building, It is Still This Beautiful

In November, Shanghai is neither hot nor cold, matching the crisp, early autumn weather of Korea. Although light fog and clouds hung low in the sky since afternoon, the temperature was absolutely perfect for a walk. Arriving after 4:00 PM, Yu Garden had unfortunately closed its admissions, so I couldn't explore the inner gardens. However, simply wandering around the Yuyuan Bazaar, which beautifully preserves the traditional Ming and Qing architectural styles, was more than enough to soak in the atmosphere.

I moved my steps onto the famous Jiuqu Bridge (Nine-Turn Bridge). Legend has it that the bridge was built with nine turns because ancient people believed spirits could only walk in straight lines and therefore couldn't cross. Leaning against the railing, the whimsical thought struck me: "Spirits float in the air anyway, so would nine turns really stop them?" I chuckled quietly to myself. After taking about a hundred photos to finally get one single shot I liked, I gazed down at the winding water.

Modern Stores Blending Beneath Brilliant Gold and Red Lights

As the clock ticked past 5:00 PM, darkness fell swiftly like an ambush, and magnificent lights turned on simultaneously across the buildings of Yu Garden. When golden lights illuminated the centuries-old, elegant tiled roofs, the atmosphere instantly transformed 180 degrees. Interestingly, the first floors of these ancient, traditional buildings house modern, prominent franchises like Shake Shack, Godiva, and CHAGEE. It felt strangely familiar, like seeing a modern reinterpretation of Seoul's Insadong or Bukchon Hanok Village.

Stepping into the alleys where red and gold lights intersected, a dazzlingly intense landscape unfolded. Seeing the night view of Yu Garden in person was so overwhelmingly beautiful that I couldn't take my eyes off it. Who could have imagined that the outer edges of this massive private garden, built over twenty years by an ancient Ming Dynasty official for his parents' comfortable retirement, would transform so brilliantly? The energy born from traditional architectural beauty meeting modern lighting design filled the night street.

I walked back toward the water and quietly looked down into the pond. Beneath the calm surface, massive koi fish, as thick as my forearm, and silently crawling softshell turtles swam leisurely. The contrast between the pond's surface reflecting blue light and the surrounding ancient architecture created a mysterious, magical atmosphere.

Before leaving Yu Garden, I stopped by CHAGEE, a milk tea brand that has taken China by storm and recently started opening stores in Korea. Holding a cup of milk tea with its clean, elegant packaging, I took a warm sip, and a clean tea aroma swirled in my mouth. With milk tea in hand, I headed toward my next destination, the Bund.

Skyscrapers Across the Huangpu River and the Stone Pavilions of the Bund

Just after 6:00 PM, I arrived at the Bund promenade along the Huangpu River. Shanghai's weather remained foggy, but a cool river breeze blew in. Across the river, the Oriental Pearl Tower and modern skyscrapers in the heart of the Lujiazui financial district glowed with a mysterious brilliance, partially shrouded in clouds and fog.

As I gazed at the Pudong skyline, a large, elevated screen brightly flashed the initials "I ❤️ SH." Looking at it made me smile. I thought, "If someone brought a partner with the initials SH here, they could pull off a highly cost-effective proposal. They could say, 'I prepared this entire city of Shanghai for you!' I wonder how Seung-ho is doing these days..."

The lights on the Bund usually turn on starting at 6:00 PM and stay lit late into the night. Since you can't go inside, the core of the sightseeing experience is literally "admiring the illuminated exteriors of other people's buildings." I've never been to Europe, but I wondered if Budapest's night view felt like this. Remarkably, my sibling, who had struggled with camera angles throughout the trip, finally figured out how to frame a shot. They placed the camera near the ground and took a full-body photo of me that made my legs look incredibly long. They finally seemed to understand my requests, which was quite satisfying.

The massive stone buildings lined up along the Bund waterfront are commercial banks and government offices built during the old concession era. When golden vertical lighting illuminated the grand, neoclassical stone facades showing the passage of time, it felt like being in an old European city. For a free experience of admiring beautiful foreign building exteriors without paying a dime, there is no greater luxury than this.

At the end of the promenade, a light structure shaped like a crown on top of a distant building caught my eye. I took a small teddy bear mascot out of my pocket, placed it on my finger, and adjusted the perspective so that the crown-shaped light sat perfectly on top of the teddy bear's head. In my head, I recited the famous line, "He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight," as I snapped the picture. Though it was a foggy and chilly Shanghai night, the brilliant lights pouring down everywhere made for an unforgettable, delightful evening walk.

In the end, night on the Bund was just admiring the lit-up exteriors of buildings belonging to others, but its beauty was simply undeniable.