Briton Hamilton Lindsay is an integral character in the North Bund's story, says historian Xue Liyong, who researches Shanghai's past.

"The British didn't know much about Shanghai before his arrival," Xue tells China Tourism News.

Lindsay realized the Shanghai port's strategic importance when he visited there in 1832.

Its location in the center of China's coastline made it ideal for cargo transport between the north and the south.