CHINA. Shanghai, 1996. Before the establishment of the new China, Shanghai had what were called the International Settlement and the French Settlement. These were essentially areas with special rights outside of Chinese law. The Zhongshan Road area along the banks of the Huangpu River was known as the Bund. On the evening of September 30, the night before National Day, traffic is stopped on Zhongshan Road from sunset on and the entire road is opened to pedestrians. The weather around this time is excellent (in general, summer is humid in Shanghai and winter surprisingly cold), and Shanghai's citizens turn out in great numbers to enjoy an evening stroll.