Tess Johnston, an American expert on Shanghai's architecture and history, walks through the former HSBC building along the Bund on Saturd on Saturday.

Twelve historic buildings around the northern Bund will be renovated to their former glory before the 2010 World Expo, city officials announced at the weekend.

They include the former American Oriental Banking Corporation headquarters, the Union Church and the China Industrial Bank building.

The buildings are on Yuanmingyuan and Huqiu roads, in the area called Waitanyuan, or the core of the Bund area, a strip of history along the western bank of the Huangpu River.

Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Commission announced the restorations on Saturday, during China's Cultural Heritage Day, where old buildings across the city were opened for free public access.

The commission invited more than 20 expatriates, including diplomats, conservationists and photographers, to tour heritage buildings and hear about the city's efforts to preserve historic architecture.

The commission said its project to restore the 12 buildings to their former appearance had already been approved by local government.

Nearly 40,000 visitors inspected 20 historic buildings during open day on Saturday in Xuhui District alone. Xuhui authorities were surprised by the interest, and some sites had to prolong opening times to meet the rush.

The former residence of Soong Mei-ling was the most popular, with more than 5,000 visitors. The villa was a gift from Soong's brother on her wedding to late Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek in 1927.

It now houses piano classrooms for the affiliated middle school of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

To protect the building, only 80 visitors at one time were allowed inside, and it was open for an extra 30 minutes to allow everyone a chance to see it.