Nanjing Road East from the Bund west to People's Square is one of the busiest pedestrian commercial streets in the world — about 1.2 kilometres of department stores, chain retailers, restaurants, and tourist shops visited by 1 million people per day during peak season. It is simultaneously a genuine Shanghai commercial artery and one of the most tourist-saturated streets in China.
The buildings along the eastern section (closer to the Bund) are mostly pre-1949 department stores with architectural interest; the middle section is modern retail with no particular character. The No. 1 Department Store at 830 Nanjing Road East opened in 1956 and is one of the few remaining state department stores operating in the original format. Worth walking once; bring patience for the crowds.