On May 16th, the Shanghai Banking Association, China’s first century-old interbank organization, held a symposium titled “Inheriting and Promoting Chinese Characteristic Financial Culture to Facilitate the Construction of an International Financial Center.” During the event, the association unveiled the “Silver End Stroll” financial culture postcards and the CITY WALK route, both themed around Chinese characteristic financial culture, marking the first such initiative nationwide.
Financial Institutions Share Insights on Cultural Practices
At the symposium, representatives from Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB), the Shanghai Branch of Bank of China, and the Shanghai Branch of Bank of Communications shared their achievements and experiences in financial culture practice. SPDB, as a financial calling card for Shanghai’s international financial center, has adhered to the value of “finance for good,” creating a distinctive “four-color” cultural card. This includes “red finance” to serve the real economy, “green finance” for low-carbon development, “bright finance” to support tech innovation, and “blue finance” for inclusive services, making SPDB a more empathetic financial institution.
Historical and Cultural Significance of Financial Landmarks
The Shanghai Branch of Bank of China, with a 113-year history in Shanghai, is an integral part of the city’s financial, economic, urban, architectural, cultural, and social history. The Bank of China Building at No. 23, East Zhongshan Road, is unique among the Bund’s structures as it was funded, designed, and constructed by the Chinese, embodying Chinese cultural spirit. The building at No. 50, Hankou Road, is the birthplace of the Bank of China, and the Bank of China (Shanghai) Museum has recently been completed.
The Shanghai Branch of Bank of Communications, the only centrally managed financial institution headquartered in Shanghai, has deeply understood the significance of cultivating a financial culture with Chinese characteristics. It has provided impetus for the financial sector’s high-quality development. Leveraging cultural and tourism initiatives, the branch has produced promotional videos integrating Shanghai’s cultural tourism elements and continues to explore the historical context of its “red finance,” especially in supporting national economic development, wartime efforts, and the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Innovating Financial Culture through Historical Integration
The event highlighted the grand financial buildings from the Bund to Lujiazui, which narrate China’s century-long financial history. By integrating historical buildings with financial culture, the Shanghai Banking Association innovatively transformed these structures into three-dimensional textbooks for telling China’s financial stories. The carefully selected financial and cultural landmarks in Shanghai were brought to life through finance-tourism integration, allowing global visitors to experience the city’s historical heritage as an international financial center.
Future Directions for Financial Culture Development
Wang Xinzhe, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Financial Regulatory Bureau, emphasized Shanghai’s profound historical accumulation and solid foundation in promoting financial culture with Chinese characteristics. The “century-old trade union” is a golden brand for Shanghai’s banking industry. As a key participant in building an international financial center, Shanghai’s banking sector will integrate Chinese financial culture into its operations, compliance management, and development, forging a path that upholds Chinese cultural heritage and contributes to financial center construction.
The Shanghai Banking Association, with its long history, is expected to play a significant role in inheriting financial culture. The industry is encouraged to introduce more innovative measures, focusing on “inheriting historical context, highlighting contemporary value, demonstrating an open attitude, and enhancing international exchanges.” Through resource integration and mutual learning, the association aims to systematically explore Shanghai’s financial cultural context and create more scenario-based practices of Chinese financial culture, empowering new-era financial development with cultural strength and creating an internationally influential financial culture brand.
Launch of the “Silver End Stroll” CITY WALK
Following the symposium, participants launched the “Silver End Stroll” Chinese Characteristic Financial Culture CITY WALK. They visited four representative century-old buildings: the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank at No. 12, Zhongshan East 1st Road; the Shanghai Branch of Bank of Communications at No. 200, Jiangxi Middle Road; the Bank of China Building at No. 23, Zhongshan East 1st Road; and the former site of the Shanghai Banking Association at No. 59, Hong Kong Road. This initiative aimed to experience the financial cultural charm of Shanghai’s International Financial Center and promote the inheritance and dissemination of Chinese financial culture.
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