The Customs House, Shanghai

The Customs House was built by the British on the Shanghai Bund as the office of the British Governor general of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service. The structure is still used as a customs house and is regarded along with its neighbour, the HSBC building as symbols of the Bund and the city of Shanghai.

The Customs House was designed by Palmer and Turner Architects in 1925 and completed in 1927. The building occupies an area of 5722 square meters and has a floor space of 32,680 square meters. The structure has a Greek revival neoclassical design. The exterior is made of red brick and granite. The grand main hall is decorated with marble and gold leaf with an octagonal dome surrounded by mosaics. It has eight floors and a clock tower that offers spectacular views of the Bund and the city.

The notable feature of the Shanghai Customs House is the clock tower. The structure, inspired by the British Big Ben has four faces with over a 100 pieces of glass. JB Joyce and Company designed and created the mechanism and the clock was shipped to Shanghai in 1927. It remains, till date, the largest clock in Asia.