HISTORY;
Before the formation of Shanghai city, Shanghai was just a little sleepy fishing town located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Early in it's history, Shanghai was part of Songjiang county, governed by Suzhou prefecture. From the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Shanghai gradually became a busy seaport, outgrowing its original political jurisdictions... for example, Songjiang today is one of 18 districts within Shanghai.

During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai became an important regional port for the Yangtze and Huangpu rivers. It also became a major seaport for the nearby Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, although overseas commerce was still forbidden at that time. A historically important area of this era is Wujiaochang (now in the Yangpu District) the foundation of the city center.

The importance of Shanghai grew dramatically in the 19th century, as the city's strategic position at the mouth of the Yangtze River made it an ideal location for trade with the West.

During the First Opium War in the early-19th century, British forces temporarily held Shanghai. The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, which saw the treaty ports, Shanghai included, opened for international trade. The Treaty of the Bogue signed in 1843, and the Sino-American Treaty of Wangsia signed in 1844 together saw foreign nations achieve extraterritoriality on Chinese soil, which officially lasted until 1943.

The Sino-Japanese War fought 1894-1895 over control of Korea concluded with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which saw Japan emerge as an additional foreign power in Shanghai. Japan built the first factories in Shanghai, which were soon copied by other foreign powers to effect the emergence of Shanghai industry. Shanghai was then the biggest financial city in the Far East. Under the Republic of China, Shanghai was made a special city in 1927, and a municipality in May 1930. The Japanese Navy bombed Shanghai on January 28, 1932, nominally in an effort primarily to crush down Chinese student protests of the Manchurian Incident and the subsequent Japanese occupation. The Chinese fought back in what was known as the January 28 Incident. The two sides fought to a standstill and a ceasefire was brokered in May. In the Second Sino-Japanese War, the city fell after the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, and was occupied until Japan's surrender in 1945.

On May 27, 1949, Shanghai came under communist control and was one of the only two former Republic of China municipalities not merged into neighboring provinces over the next decade (the other being Beijing). It underwent a series of changes in the boundaries of its subdivisions.

After the communist takeover in 1949, most foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong. During the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai became an industrial center and a center for revolutionary leftism. Yet, even during the most tumultuous times of the Cultural Revolution, Shanghai was able to maintain high economic productivity and relative social stability. In much of the history of the People's Republic of China, Shanghai has been one of the largest contributors of tax revenue to the central government... Shanghai played a key financial role as an economic engine by helping the central government finance modern economic reforms in less prosperous regions of China.

Starting in 1992, the central government under Jiang Zemin, a former Mayor of Shanghai, began reducing the tax burden on Shanghai and encouraging both foreign and domestic investment in order to promote it as the economic hub of East Asia and to encourage its role as gateway of investment to the Chinese interior. Since then it has experienced continuous economic growth of between 9% – 15% annually.

POPULATION;
The total population estimates of the Shanghai area ranges from a low of approx. 13 million to a high of approx. 16.75 million, depending upon the information source... the life expectancy in Shanghai averages 78.77 years.

GEOGRAPHY;
Except for a few hills lying in the southwest corner, most parts of Shanghai are flat and belong to the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta. Shanghai is situated at 31°14' north latitude and 121°29' east longitude, and borders on Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the west, north of the city, the Yangtze River pours into the East China Sea.

Shanghai covers a total area of 6,340.5 sq km, about 0.06% of the national territory, including 6,219 sq km of land area and 122 sq km of water area. It extends 120 km from south to north and 100 km from east to west. Its Chongming Island, covering an area of 1,041 sq km, is the third largest island in China.

CLIMATE;
With a pleasant northern subtropical maritime monsoon climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons, with generous sunshine and abundant rainfall. Its spring and autumn are relatively short comparing with the summer and winter. The average annual temperature is about 17.6 °C.

Heavy rain is frequent in early summer. Spring starts in March, summer in June, autumn in September and winter in December. The weather in spring, although considered the most beautiful season, is highly variable, with frequent rain and alternating spells of warmth and cold.

TOURISM;
As a city with a long history, Shanghai has 13 historical sites under state protection, including characteristic gardens built during the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. A group of architectures built since the 1990s have added something new to the scenic attractions of the city. The Oriental Pearl TV tower, the No. 1 skyscraper in China and the People's Square well fit into the urban landscape and compete with the Western-style architectures built along the bunds.

Shanghai is an ideal "shopping paradise." and has long been a very famous shopping city in China, crowded with department stores, shopping malls, age-old stores, specialized shops, super-markets etc... Nanjing Road, known as "China's No.1 Street", the reconstructed Huaihai Road, Jinling Road, East and North Sichuan Road, the Yuyuan Garden shopping and tourist area, the Ever Bright City Commercial Center, Xujiahui Commercial Center, and Zhangyang Road Commercial Center in Pudong are all packed with rows of shops. Shanghai is also a paradise for gourmets. There are over a thousand restaurants serving the famous 16 styles of Chinese food, such as Beijing, Sichuan, Guangdong, Yangzhou, Fujian. There is also French, Russian, Italian, English, German, Japanese, Indian and many other tantalizing types of foreign cuisine, genuine Muslim food and vegetarian food. In Shanghai you have the world at your fingertips.

Since the beginning of the Nineties, the famous streets like Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road, Sichuan North Road, Yuyuan Shopping City, Xujiahui etc. have undergone large scale renovation or reconstruction.

Some of the most popular scenic spots in Shanghai include; Children's Palace, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Grand View Garden, The Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai, Waitan of Shanghai, Yufo Temple, and Yuyuan Gardens.

TRANSPORTATION;
Shanghai has an extensive public transportation system, largely based on buses, and a rapidly expanding metro system. It has an easy access to the outside world by all means of transport: ocean, offshore and inland water shipping, high way and railroad transport, air flights etc. As the biggest seaport in China, the port of Shanghai has trade links with ports of over 100 countries and regions.

Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai has one of the largest sea-ports in the world. Shanghai has established shipping ties with more than 1,100 ports in more than 200 countries and regions. The ocean navigation lines lead to Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, Israel, the Mediterranean, Northwest Europe, South Africa, South America and the United States. The domestic lines lead to all major ports along the coastline. The Yangtze River navigation routes lead to all ports at the middle and lower reaches of the river. The inland navigation waterways connect large and small harbors and docks in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.

Shanghai boasts some 100 special railway lines. In the future, an international container transportation rail network characterized by directness and quickness, linking Hong Kong and Macao in the south, Russia and Europe in the north, Middle Asian countries in the west, will be established in Shanghai.

Shanghai has a convenient highway network which extends to townships and connects with other trans-regional artery highways. The city traffic has been greatly improved with the completion of elevated roads and light rail lines.

Shanghai has two international airports -- Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport.

Shanghai has one of the world's most extensive bus systems with nearly one thousand bus lines. The Shanghai Metro (subway and elevated light rail) has several lines... according to the development schedule of the municipal government, by the year 2010, another 8 lines will be built in Shanghai. Taxis in Shanghai are plentiful.

Before the 1990s, bicycling was the most ubiquitous form of transportation in Shanghai, but the city has since banned bicycles on many of the city's main roads to ease congestion. However, many streets have bicycle lanes and intersections are monitored by "Traffic Assistants" who help provide for safe crossing. The city government has pledged to add 180 km of cycling lanes over the next few years. With rising disposable incomes, private car ownership in Shanghai has also been rapidly increasing in recent years.

COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA;
Shanghai has a couple radio broadcasting stations and several TV stations. There are more than 1,000 TV stations across China using Shanghai satellite TV programs. Shanghai audiences also have access to four encrypted channels of the China Central TV Station as well as the satellite TV programs of 10 other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities... internet users are estimated to number approx. several million.

ECONOMY & EMPLOYMENT;
Shanghai became China's center for textile industry in the 16th century and has been one of the largest industrial bases in the country since 1949. Now it is China’s largest economic and shipping center and will gradually develop into an international center of economy, trade and shipping.

Shanghai has a Well-developed commodity economy and comparatively high scientific and technological level. As the biggest industrial centre in China, Shanghai ranks first in the value of its industrial production, as compared with other Chinese cities. Its main industry includes metallurgy, chemicals, petroleum, machinery, automobiles, electronics, shipbuilding, light industry, textiles, electrical appliances, and other industries. Shanghai is the chief producer of industrial goods, and a major export base in China as well. Shanghai also has one of the world's busiest ports.

The Pudong Development Area in Shanghai has become a very important economic zone in China. The level of the new area's industry, commerce, finance, trade, post and telecommunications stands at the forefront in China.

Shanghai is often regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China, even though modern economic reforms in Shanghai began a decade later than many of the Southern Chinese provinces. Recently, Shanghai and Hong Kong have had a rivalry over which city is to be the economic center of China.

As Shanghai has increased its role as a finance, banking, and major destination for corporate headquarters, it has fueled demand for a highly educated and modernized workforce.

GDP growth in Shanghai has recently been growing at a rate of between 10% - 11% per year.

CULTURE & LANGUAGE;
Shanghai is home to the Han people and 39 ethic minorities and a few unidentified ethnic groups... the largest minority ethic group living in Shanghai is the Hui people, followed by the Manchu; those with the smallest population include the Va, Lahu, Maonan, Primi and Jing.

The vernacular language is Shanghainese, a dialect of Wu Chinese; while the official language is Standard Mandarin. The local dialect is mutually unintelligible with Mandarin, and is an inseparable part of the Shanghainese identity. The Shanghainese dialect today is a mixture of standard Wu Chinese as spoken in Suzhou, with the dialects of Ningbo and other nearby regions whose peoples have migrated to Shanghai in large numbers since the 20th Century.

Nearly all Shanghainese under the age of 40 can speak Mandarin fluently. Fluency in foreign languages is unevenly distributed. Most senior residents who received a university education before the revolution, and those who worked in foreign enterprises, can speak English. Those under the age of 26 have had contact with English since primary school, as English is taught as a mandatory course starting at Grade 1.

In Shanghai, 99 percent of the children at school age go to school, and 97 percent of the junior high school graduates can continue their schooling in high schools or secondary vocational schools.

NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT;
Dotted with many rivers and lakes, Shanghai is known for its rich water resources, with the water area accounting for 11 percent of its total territory. Most of the rivers are tributaries of the Huangpu River. Originated from the Taihu Lake, the 113 km Huangpu River winds through the downtown area of the city. The river is about 300 to 770 meters wide with an average width standing at 360 meters. The ice-free river is the main waterway in the Shanghai area.

Facing the East China Sea, Shanghai has abundant aquatic resources. There are a total of more than 700 types of aquatic products in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea. In addition, Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River where sea water and fresh water converge. The wide river mouth is home to 108 species of fish including 20 economic fishes. Shanghai also boasts a number of natural lakes with abundant bottom living things such as conch, Corbicula leana (a fresh-water variety of bivalves) and clam.

Shanghai has no conventional energy reserves such as coal, petroleum or waterpower. It has to rely on energies imported from other provinces. But Shanghai turns out a certain amount of high-quality second-energy products, including electric power, oil products, and gas (including liquefied petroleum gas). Potential energy resources to be tapped include methane, wind power, tidal power and solar energy.

GOVERNMENT;
Shanghai has been a political hub of China for many years. Many of China's top government officials in Beijing are known to have risen in Shanghai in the 1980's... four Shanghai mayors eventually went on to take prominent Central Government positions, including former President Jiang Zemin and former Premier Zhu Rongji.

Shanghai is administratively equal to a province and is divided into 19 county-level divisions: 18 districts and 1 county. Nine of the districts govern the older part of urban Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River. These nine districts are collectively referred to as Shanghai Proper or the core city, as a result, there is no single downtown district in Shanghai, the urban core is scattered across these districts. The city hall and major administration units are located in Huangpu District, which also serve as a commercial area, including the famous Nanjing Road.

INVESTMENT;
Well over 100 foreign countries and regions have major investments in Shanghai... and the government of Shanghai encourages foreign investment in a very wide range of local industries.

LINKS;