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Shanghai, shorted for "Hu" and "Shen", is situated in the southeast of Yangtze River Delta and to the east is the East China Sea. As the gateway to the Yangtze River basin, it covers an area of 6340 square kilometres with a total population of 24.24 million.
Already the most exciting and fashionable city in China, Shanghai is quickly earning an international reputation as one of the world's fashion centres. A melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures, Shanghai's growing middle class is not only following international fashions, but they are setting trends for the future.
Abbreviation: Hu
Area: 6340 square kilometres
Population: 24.24 million
Location: In east China on the Yangtze River estuary
Dialing code: (+86) 021
Zip code: 200000
Shanghai encompasses 6,340 square kilometres, of which the Xin Pudong Area takes up 522 square kilometres. Within the area there are four key small zones, such as Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone, Golden Bridge Export Processing Zone, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone and Zhangjiang High-tech Zone.
Shanghai is a municipality directly under the central government, and is China's largest financial center. The city includes 16 administrative districts including: Huangpu, Jingan, Changan, Luwan, Nanshi, Putuo, Hongkou, Zhabei, Yangpu, Xuhui, Baoshan, Minhang, Jiading, Jinshan, and Songjiang. There are also four administrative counties, Qingpu, Fengxian, Nanhui, and Chongming, and the Pudong New District. Shanghai has 24 million permanent residents.
With a long history and new development, Shanghai has been a city drawing the most attention. The west of Shanghai formed land 6000 years ago. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Shanghai was called Huating, belonging to the State of Wu, and during the Warring States Period, Shanghai belonged to the State of Yue firstly and to the State of Chu afterwards. Shanghai was the feud of Prince Huang Xie, who was then called Sir Chun Shen, honored by Kaolie king of State of Chu, and that's why Shanghai was called Shen for short. And HU, another name of Shanghai, originated from a bamboo fishing tool called HU, which was invented by the local fishing men. In Xianchun reign of Southern Song Dynasty (A.D.1265-A.D.1274), Shanghai became Shanghai town, and developed into Shanghai county in A.D.I293. In the 32nd year of Jiajing reign of Ming Dynasty, Shanghai had been ramparted around and had become the most important textile center of the country. In the 24th year of Kangxi reign of Qing Dynasty, the Qing government established a customhouse here, and Shanghai gradually became the great trade port and water transport center of China. After the Opium War, Shanghai became an open port under the pressure of colonialists. From 1843 to 1943, Shanghai was the main port where the colonialists dumped goods and fleeced raw materials and gold. Then Shanghai gradually developed into the financial and commercial center of the Far East, and therefore was nicknamed the paradise of adventurers. The epitome of Chinese Modern History is thoroughly shown in Shanghai where many important historic events and revolutionary activities happened and influenced the whole nation. As a historical and cultural city, Shanghai has more than 70 key national and municipal cultural heritages under special protection, showing its unique cultural features.
Now, Shanghai is an international metropolis full of youthful spirit and energy, having built many landmark buildings that come out top in Asia, even in the whole world. With abundant cultural sources, charming city views, busy merchandise streets and customs mixed with East and West folk-customs, Shanghai forms its distinctive sight and has become a city of historical and modern features, so more and more Chinese and foreign tourists choose Shanghai as the first destination of their tour in China.
Commerce in Shanghai is well developed. A great number of stores and shops have an ample supply of commodities. The stores and shops provide customers with the latest style commodities of numerous varieties. Shanghai is really an ideal place for tourists at home and abroad to do shopping. Nanjing and Huaihai Roads are the most famous shopping centers in Shanghai and Yu Garden bazaar is also a shopping centre with unique features in the city.
As a modern city, Shanghai has attracted a great number of expert chefs from other parts of China, and has become one of China's gastronomic centres of the eight major styles of Chinese cuisine.
Through years of culinary practice and the assimilation of the art and skills in other styles of cuisine, Shanghai chefs have also created a style of cuisine peculiar to the region. Shanghai dishes are characterized by the use of heavy and highly flavoured sauce. Cooked in deep fat and soy sauce, the food is palatable and retains its primary flavour. The methods of Shanghai cooking are noted for braising with red sauce, stir-frying, simmering, deep-frying and pan-frying. Vegetarian cuisine in Shanghai has also been highly developed. With the increasing contacts between Shanghai and other parts of the world, more and more tourists from abroad are coming to visit this city. With a view to suiting the palate of these visitors, western-styled restaurants have been set up for their selection. These restaurants offer English, French, German, Italian or Russian cuisine. Besides, snack houses and stalls of Shanghai serve various sorts of refreshments. Taking breakfast foods by way of example, there is a total of some 300 kinds of dumplings and pastries including deep-fried twisted dough sticks, soy milk, glutinous-rice balls, fried cakes with green onions, noodles with topping, dumplings in soup, steamed buns, fried dumplings, glutinous-rice cakes and dumplings, sweet pasty soups.
In Shanghai there are professional performing troupes and worker's palaces and clubs as well as numerous amateur troupes offering Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Shaoxing Opera, Shanghai Opera. Pingtan(story-telling and ballad-singing in Suzhou dialect), modern drama and opera, acrobatics, puppet show, ballet, song and dance, symphonic and Chinese traditional music. Shanghai has four film studios producing feature, popular science, cartoon and dubned films. The cinemas and theatres are open to the public. Shanghai offers a great variety of colourful cultural activities. Various kinds of healthy entertainments are made available to tourists, who will find their stay in Shanghai even more pleasant.
Shanghai is one of China's largest hubs of communications. There are international airlines linking Shanghai with Tokyo, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles , Bombay, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Teheran, Athens, Belgrade, Geneva, Zurich, Moscow, London, etc. Shanghai's marine transport reaches over 150 countries and regions. Railroads, highways, sea routes, inland navigation and airlines connect it with all the major cities, ports and harbors. Thus it is known as the "Eastern Entrance of China”.
The city of Shanghai has convenient communications. There are more than 1043 bus lines and 11 subway lines crisscross the city proper. Taxi and air-conditioned coaches for travellers are also available.
Shanghai Maglev Train—It is the world's first commercialized operating magnetic levitation line. The 30-kilometre-long trip, between Longyang Road Station (Metro Line 2) and Shenghai Pudong International Airport, takes only seven minutes, with a maximum speed of 430 kilometres per hour.
Now, Shanghai is an international metropolis full of youthful spirit and energy, having built many landmark buildings that come out top in Asia, even in the whole world. With abundant cultural sources, charming city views, busy merchandise streets and customs mixed with East and West folk-customs, Shanghai forms its distinctive sight and has become a city of historical and modern features, so more and more Chinese and foreign tourists choose Shanghai as the first destination of their tour in China.