How an Australian restaurateur helped revive Shanghai's riverfront

New film portrays star role of Michelle Garnaut's M on the Bund

Unique as a business woman and entrepreneur in China, Michelle Garnaut also dresses with her unique, colorful style. Seen here on the terrace of M on the Bund.jpg

Michelle Garnaut looks out from the terrace of her wildly popular Shanghai restaurant, M on the Bund, before it closed in 2022. (All photos courtesy of LP Films)

RON GLUCKMAN, Contributing writer

November 21, 2024 08:00 JST

HONG KONG -- Mick Jagger, Gore Vidal, Virgin boss Richard Branson and "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening are just a few of the global stars who romped at Shanghai's illustrious M on the Bund, launched in 1999 by Australian restaurateur Michelle Garnaut. The glamorous restaurant became a top venue in the early 2000s and helped spark a revival of the Bund, once China's Wall Street, before closing in 2022, a victim of China's COVID-19 lockdowns.