Customs House
LandmarkThe Bund & East Nanjing Road
CUSTOMS HOUSE · HAIGUAN DALOU
Free
The 1927 customs house whose clock tower gives the Bund its voice: on the hour the speakers play 'The East Is Red' over the river, as they have since 2003. It is still a working customs office — you admire it from the promenade. The interior opened to the public for the first time during the 2025 art season, and the building is now headed into a centennial restoration, so expect some scaffolding.
AdmissionFree (exterior only)
Time your walk to the top of the hour for the chimes; no queue for the building itself — crowds follow the general Bund tide.
Good to know
- The hourly 'East Is Red' is a recording over loudspeakers (since 2003) — the mechanical clock itself cannot play the tune. The clockwork is a sibling of Big Ben's, once ranked among the world's three great clocks.
- The first-ever public opening (2025) was reservation-only via the Huangpu planning WeChat account and sold out in minutes; if a post-restoration window opens, it will likely use the same channel.
- The Sep–Nov 2025 art-season opening was billed as the farewell before a centennial restoration; expect wrapping or scaffolding on the facade until it completes — check on site.
Source · TripMind verified 2026-08-31+ Add to trip