The Gutzlaff Signal Tower

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-- ATONOBO --

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"At the south end of the Bund stands the old Gutzlaff Signal Tower, originally built by the French in 1865 and rebuilt in 1907. It was used to transmit weather reports from the Zikawei Observatory at Xujiahui to ships at sea, and served this function until 1956. Nowadays, it serves as a small museum - the Bund Museum, with black-and-white photos of the Bund during Shanghai's heydays (entry fee RMB10). There is an attached, rather expensive, cafe." --cheezecake deli

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"Replacing a simpler wooden structure from 1884, the current tower, called the "Gutzlaff Signal Tower" after a 17th century German missionary, was built in 1907 as part of a system of meteorological relay stations set up by the French Jesuits. It served to warn riverboats and locals of oncoming weather through an elaborate flag system, a sort of a Jesuit precursor to the Weather Channel. " --smart shanghai