Shanghai 上海

Country: China
Coordinates:31°12′N 121°30′ECoordinates: 31°12′N 121°30′E
Settled: 5th–7th century Incorporated as a Town: 751; County: 1292; Municipality: 7 July 1927
Divisions: 18 districts Township - level: 220 towns and villages
Government - Type: Municipality - CPC Ctte Secretary: Yu Zhengsheng - Mayor: Han Zheng
Area^[1][2]: - Municipality: 7,037 km2 (2,717 sq mi) - Land: 6,340 km2 (2,447.9 sq mi) - Water: 679 km2 (262.2 sq mi) - Urban: 5,299 km2 (2,046 sq mi)
Elevation^[3]: 4 m (13 ft)
Population: (2010)^[4] - Municipality 22,210,000 - Density 3,156.2/km2 (8,174.5/sq mi)
Demonym : Shanghainese
Time zone: China standard time (UTC+8)
Postal code: 200000 – 202100
Area code(s): 21
GDP^[5] 2010: - Total: CNY 1.687 trillion US$ 256.3 billion (9th)
Per capita: CNY 76,000 US$ 11,540 (1st) Growth: 9.9% HDI (2008) 0.908 (1st) — very high
Licence plate prefixes: 沪A, B, D, E, F,G ,H, J, K 沪C (outer suburbs)
City flower: Yulan magnolia
Website: www.shanghai.gov.cn

Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; Shanghainese: Zånhae [z̥ɑ̃̀hé]; Mandarin pinyin: Shànghǎi Mandarin pronunciation: [ʂɑ̂ŋxài]) is the most populous city in China. The city is located in eastern China, at the middle portion of the Chinese coast, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Due to its rapid growth in the last two decades, it has again become one of the world's leading cities, exerting influence over finance, commerce, fashion, and culture.

Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and was one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The city then flourished as a centre of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business in the 1930s.^[6] However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined. In 1990, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.^[7] Shanghai is now aiming to be a global finance hub and international shipping centre in the future,^[8] and is predicted to become one of the world's main global financial centres, on the level of even London and New York in this regard.^[9]

Shanghai is also a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, Peoples Square (the former racing track) and Yuyuan Garden, and its extensive yet growing Pudong skyline. It hosted the World Expo in 2010, attracting 73 million visitors.^[10] It is described as the 'showpiece' of the booming economy of China.^[11][12]

Etymology and names

Shanghai: 'Shanghai' as written in Chinese 上海 Wu Zaonhe Literal meaning - above sea or on sea

Transcriptions

The two Chinese characters in the city's name are 上 ('above') and 海 ('sea') which together literally mean 'Upper Sea'. The earliest occurrence of this name dates from the Song Dynasty (11th century), at which time there was already a river confluence and a town with this name in the area. There are disputes as to exactly how the name should be interpreted, but official local histories have consistently said that it signifies 'The upper reaches of the sea'. Due to the changing coastline, Chinese historians have concluded that in the Tang Dynasty Shanghai was literally on the sea, hence the origin of the name.^[13] A more poetic name for Shanghai switches the order of the two characters, '海上', and is often used for terms related to Shanghainese art and culture.

Shanghai is commonly abbreviated in Chinese to '沪'.^[14] As it is also an official abbreviation, this character appears on all motor vehicle license plates issued in the municipality today. The name '沪' is derived from Hù Dú (沪渎 / 滬瀆), the ancient name for the lower section of the Suzhou Creek as it enters the sea, the same section which is today regarded as the lower section of the Huangpu River.^[15] The character '沪' (Hù) is often combined with '松' (Sōng) to form the name Songhu (松沪). Sōng comes from another ancient name for the Suzhou Creek, the Song River, after which the town Songjiang is named. For example, the 1937 Battle of Shanghai is better known in Chinese as the Battle of Songhu. A second abbreviation for Shanghai is '申' (Shēn), derived from the name of Chunshen Jun (春申君), a nobleman and locally revered hero of the Chu Kingdom in the third century BC whose territory included the Shanghai area. Sports teams and newspapers in Shanghai often use this character in their names. Shanghai is also commonly called Shēnchéng (申城, 'Walled city of Shēn').

Another early name for Shanghai was Huating (华亭). In 751 AD, during the mid-Tang Dynasty, Huating County was established at modern-day Songjiang, the first county-level administration within modern-day Shanghai. Today, Huating is most often encountered as the name of a four-star hotel in the city.^[13]

History

During the Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279) Shanghai was upgraded in status from a village (村) to a market town (镇) in 1074, and in 1172 a second sea wall was built to stabilise the ocean coastline, supplementing an earlier dike.^[16] From the Yuan Dynasty in 1292 until Shanghai officially became a city for the first time in 1927, the area was designated merely as a county (縣) administered by the Songjiang prefecture.^[17]

Two important events helped promote Shanghai's development in the Ming Dynasty. A city wall was built for the first time in 1554, in order to protect the town from raids by Japanese pirates. It measured 10 metres high and 5 kilometres in circumference.^[18] During the Wanli reign (1573–1620), Shanghai received an important psychological boost from the erection of a City God Temple (城隍庙) in 1602. This honour was usually reserved for places with the status of a city, such as a prefectural capital (府), and was not normally given to a mere county town (镇) like Shanghai. The honour was probably a reflection of the town's economic importance, as opposed to its low political status.^[18]

Photo: A view of the Bund in 1928.
Photo: Nanjing Road in the 1930s.

During the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai became one of the most important sea ports in the Yangtze Delta region. This was a result of two important central government policy changes. First of all, Emperor Kangxi (1662–1723) in 1684 reversed the previous Ming Dynasty prohibition on ocean going vessels, a ban that had been in force since 1525. Secondly, in 1732 Emperor Yongzheng moved the customs office for Jiangsu province (江海关; see Customs House, Shanghai) from the prefectural capital of Songjiang city to Shanghai, and gave Shanghai exclusive control over customs collections for Jiangsu Province's foreign trade.

Colonial buildings in old Shanghai.

As a result of these two critical decisions, Professor Linda Cooke Johnson has concluded that by 1735 Shanghai had become the major trade port for all of the lower Yangtze River region, despite still being at the lowest administrative level in the political hierarchy.^[19] International attention to Shanghai grew in the 19th century due to its economic and trade potential at the Yangtze River. During the First Opium War (1839–1842), British forces temporarily held the city. The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, opening the treaty ports, Shanghai included, for international trade. The Treaty of the Bogue signed in 1843, and the Sino-American Treaty of Wangsia signed in 1844 together allowed foreign nations to visit and trade on Chinese soil, the start of the foreign concessions.

In 1854, the Shanghai Municipal Council was created to manage the foreign settlements. In 1860–1862, during a civil war Shanghai had been invaded twice. In 1863, the British settlement, located to the south of Suzhou creek (Huangpu district), and the American settlement, to the north of Suzhou creek (Hongkou district), joined in order to form the International Settlement. The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and maintained its own French Concession, located to the south of the International Settlement, which still exists today as a popular attraction. Citizens of many countries and all continents came to Shanghai to live and work during the ensuing decades; those who stayed for long periods — some for generations — called themselves 'Shanghailanders'.^[20] In the 1920s and 1930s, almost 20,000 so-called White Russians and Russian Jews fled the newly established Soviet Union and took up residence in Shanghai. These Shanghai Russians constituted the second-largest foreign community. By 1932, Shanghai had become the world's fifth largest city and home to 70,000 foreigners.^[21] In the 1930s, some 30,000 Jewish refugees from Europe arrived in the city.^[22]

The Sino-Japanese War concluded with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which elevated Japan to become another foreign power in Shanghai. Japan built the first factories in Shanghai, which were soon copied by other foreign powers. Shanghai was then the most important financial centre in the Far East. All this international activity gave Shanghai the nickname 'the Great Athens of China'^[23]

Photo: Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China

Under the Republic of China (1911–1949), Shanghai's political status was finally raised to that of a municipality on July 14, 1927. Although the territory of the foreign concessions was excluded from their control, this new Chinese municipality still covered an area of 828.8 square kilometers, including the modern-day districts of Baoshan, Yangpu, Zhabei, Nanshi, and Pudong. Headed by a Chinese mayor and municipal council, the new city governments first task was to create a new city centre in Jiangwan town of Yangpu district, outside the boundaries of the foreign concessions. This new city centre was planned to include a public museum, library, sports stadium, and city hall.^[24]

On January 28, 1932, Japanese forces struck and the Chinese resisted, fighting to a standstill; a ceasefire was brokered in May. The Battle of Shanghai in 1937 resulted in the occupation of the Chinese administered parts of Shanghai outside of the International Settlement and the French Concession. The International Settlement was occupied by the Japanese on 8 December 1941 and remained occupied until Japan's surrender in 1945, during which time war crimes were committed.^[25]

Photo: Massive development in Shanghai due to China's economy boom since the 1990s.

On May 27, 1949, the Communist People's Liberation Army took control of Shanghai, which was one of only three former Republic of China (ROC) municipalities not merged into neighbouring provinces over the next decade (the others being Beijing and Tianjin). Shanghai underwent a series of changes in the boundaries of its subdivisions, especially in the next decade. After 1949, most foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong, as part of an exodus of foreign investment due to the Communist victory.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai became an industrial centre and centre for radical leftism; the leftist Jiang Qing and her three cohorts, together the Gang of Four, were based in the city. Yet, even during the most tumultuous times of the Cultural Revolution, Shanghai was able to maintain high economic productivity and relative social stability. In most of the history of the People's Republic of China (PRC), in order to funnel wealth to the rural areas, Shanghai has been a comparatively heavy contributor of tax revenue to the central government. This came at the cost of severely crippling Shanghai's infrastructural and capital development. Its importance to the fiscal well-being of the central government also denied it economic liberalisations begun in 1978. Shanghai was finally permitted to initiate economic reforms in 1991, starting the massive development still seen today and the birth of Lujiazui in Pudong.

Geography

Photo: The urban area of Shanghai can be seen in this natural-colour satellite image (Landsat-7 2005-08-15).
Photo: Yangtze River Delta

Shanghai sits on the Yangtze River Delta on China's eastern coast, and is roughly equidistant from Beijing and Hong Kong. The municipality as a whole consists of a peninsula between the Yangtze and Hangzhou Bay, mainland China's second largest island Chongming, and a number of smaller islands. It is bordered on the north and west by Jiangsu Province, on the south by Zhejiang Province, and on the east by the East China Sea. The city proper is bisected by the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze. The historic centre of the city, the Puxi area, is located on the western side of the Huangpu, while the newly developed Pudong, containing the central financial district Lujiazui, was developed on the eastern bank.

The vast majority of Shanghai's 6,218 km2 (2,401 sq mi) land area is flat, apart from a few hills in the southwest corner, with an average elevation of 4 m (13 ft).^[26] The city's location on the flat alluvial plain has meant that new skyscrapers must be built with deep concrete piles to stop them sinking into the soft ground. The highest point is at the peak of Dajinshan Island at 103 m (338 ft).^[27] The city has many rivers, canals, streams and lakes and is known for its rich water resources as part of the Taihu drainage area.

Climate

Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and experiences four distinct seasons. Winters are chilly and damp, and cold northwesterly winds from Siberia can cause nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing, although most years there are only one or two days of snowfall. Summers are hot and humid, with an average of 8.7 days exceeding 35 °C (95 °F) annually; occasional downpours or freak thunderstorms can be expected. The city is also susceptible to typhoons in summer and the beginning of autumn, none of which in recent years has caused considerable damage.^[28] The most pleasant seasons are Spring, although changeable and often rainy, and Autumn, which is generally sunny and dry. The city averages 4.2 °C (39.6 °F) in January and 27.9 °C (82.2 °F) in July, for an annual mean of 16.1 °C (61.0 °F). Shanghai experiences on average 1,878 hours of sunshine per year, with the hottest temperature ever recorded at 40.2 °C (104 °F), and the lowest at −12.1 °C (10 °F).^[29] The average frost-free period is 276 days.^[26]

Climate data for 上海 (1971−2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	8.1 (46.6)	9.2 (48.6)	12.8 (55)	19.1 (66.4)	24.1 (75.4)	27.6 (81.7)	31.8 (89.2)	31.3 (88.3)	27.2 (81)	22.6 (72.7)	17.0 (62.6)	11.1 (52)	20.2 (68.4)
Average low °C (°F)	1.1 (34)	2.2 (36)	5.6 (42.1)	10.9 (51.6)	16.1 (61)	20.8 (69.4)	25.0 (77)	24.9 (76.8)	20.6 (69.1)	15.1 (59.2)	9.0 (48.2)	3.0 (37.4)	12.9 (55.2)
Precipitation mm (inches)	50.6 (1.992)	56.8 (2.236)	98.8 (3.89)	89.3 (3.516)	102.3 (4.028)	169.6 (6.677)	156.3 (6.154)	157.9 (6.217)	137.3 (5.406)	62.5 (2.461)	46.2 (1.819)	37.1 (1.461)	1,164.7 (45.854)
% Humidity	75	74	76	76	76	82	82	81	78	75	74	73	76.8
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	9.7	10.3	13.9	12.7	12.1	14.4	12.0	11.3	11.0	8.1	7.0	6.5	129.0
Sunshine hours	123.0	115.7	126.0	156.1	173.5	147.6	217.8	220.8	158.9	160.8	146.6	147.7	1,894.5

Source: China Meteorological Administration ^[30]

Politics

Photo: Shanghai municipal government building

The politics of Shanghai is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in China. The Mayor of Shanghai is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Shanghai.

Administrative divisions

Shanghai is administratively equal to a province and is divided into 18 county-level divisions: 17 districts and one county. Even though every district has its own urban core, the real city centre is between Bund to the east, Nanjing Rd to the north, Old City Temple and Huaihai Road to the south. Prominent central business areas include Lujiazui on the east bank of the Huangpu River, and The Bund and Hongqiao areas in the west bank of the Huangpu River. The city hall and major administration units are located in Huangpu District, which also serve as a commercial area, including the famous Nanjing Road. Other major commercial areas include Xintiandi and the classy Huaihai Road (previously Avenue Joffre) in Luwan district and Xujiahui (which used to be translated into English as Zikawei, reflecting the Shanghainese pronunciation) in Xuhui District. Many universities in Shanghai are located in residential areas of Yangpu District and Putuo District.

The 17 districts and 1 county that make up the Municipality of Shanghai

Puxi: Yangpu Hongkou Zhabei Putuo Changning Xuhui Jing'an Luwan Huangpu Chongming Baoshan Jiading Pudong Qingpu Minhang Songjiang Fengxian Jinshan Nine of the districts govern Puxi (literally Huangpu River west), or the older part of urban Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River. These nine districts are collectively referred to as Shanghai Proper (上海市区) or the core city (市中心): Huangpu District (黄浦区 Huángpǔ Qū) Luwan District (卢湾区 Lúwān Qū) Xuhui District (徐汇区 Xúhuì Qū) Changning District (长宁区 Chángníng Qū) Jing'an District (静安区 Jìng'ān Qū) Putuo District (普陀区 Pǔtuó Qū) Zhabei District (闸北区 Zháběi Qū) Hongkou District (虹口区 Hóngkǒu Qū) Yangpu District (杨浦区 Yángpǔ Qū) Pudong (literally Huangpu River east), or the newer part of urban and suburban Shanghai on the east bank of the Huangpu River, is governed by: Pudong New District (浦东新区 Pǔdōng Xīn Qū) — Chuansha County until 1992, merged with Nanhui District in 2009 Seven of the districts govern suburbs, satellite towns, and rural areas further away from the urban core: Baoshan District (宝山区 Bǎoshān Qū) — Baoshan County until 1988 Minhang District (闵行区 Mǐnháng Qū) — Shanghai County until 1992 Jiading District (嘉定区 Jiādìng Qū) — Jiading County until 1992 Jinshan District (金山区 Jīnshān Qū) — Jinshan County until 1997 Songjiang District (松江区 Sōngjiāng Qū) — Songjiang County until 1998 Qingpu District (青浦区 Qīngpǔ Qū) — Qingpu County until 1999 Fengxian District (奉贤区 Fèngxián Qū) — Fengxian County until 2001 Chongming Island, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze, is governed by: Chongming County (崇明县 Chóngmíng Xiàn)

As of 2003, these county-level divisions are further divided into the following 220 township-level divisions: 114 towns, 3 townships, 103 subdistricts. Those are in turn divided into the following village-level divisions: 3,393 neighborhood committees and 2,037 village committees.

Economy

Photo: Skyline of the Lujiazui financial district
Photo: Increasing influence over global capital market:Shanghai Stock Exchange
Photo: Shanghai Port:World’s busiest container port

Shanghai is the commercial and financial centre of mainland China. It was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s, and rapid re-development began in 1990s. This is exemplified by the Pudong District, which became a pilot area for integrated economic reforms.

Today, Shanghai is again one of the most prosperous cities in the world. Its cosmopolitan character, sophisticated and affluent consumers, and highly educated skilled labor force make it highly attractive to overseas investors. Shanghai has recorded double-digit growth for 15 consecutive years since 1992 to become the center of finance and trade in new China.^[7] Shanghai is now aiming to be a global finance hub and international shipping center in the near future.^[8]

In 2010, Shanghai's total GDP grew to 1.687 trillion RMB (US$256.3 billion) with GDP per capita of 76,000 RMB ($11,540).^[5] The three largest service industries are financial services, retail, and real estate. The manufacturing and agricultural sectors accounted for 39.9 percent and 0.7 percent of the total output respectively.^[31] Average annual disposable income of Shanghai residents, based on the first three quarters of 2009, was 21,871 RMB.^[32]

Located at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai has the world’s busiest container port, which handled 29.05 million TEUs in 2010.^[33]

Shanghai was the leading financial centre of Far East in the 1930s and the city has a solid foundation in the financial services industry. The city has set up a complete financial institution, including commercial banks, securities companies, insurance companies, fund management companies, trust companies, futures companies and financial leasing companies. By the end of 2009, there were 787 financial institutions, of which 170 were foreign-invested.^[31] In 2009, the Shanghai Stock Exchange ranked third among worldwide stock exchanges in terms of trading volume and sixth in terms of the total capitalization of listed companies, and the trading volume of six key commodities including rubber, copper and zinc on the Shanghai Futures Exchange all ranked first across the world.^[34]

Shanghai is now ranked fifth in the latest edition of the Global Financial Centres Index published by the City of London.^[35]

Shanghai has constantly optimized and upgraded its industrial structure as well and sped up the development of its advanced manufacture sector. Shanghai plays a key role in China’s heavy industries. A large number of industrial zones, including Shanghai Hongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jinqiao Export Economic Processing Zone, Minhang Economic and Technological Development Zone, and Shanghai Caohejing High-Tech Development Zone, are backbones of Shanghai's secondary industry. Heavy industries accounted for 78% of the gross industrial output in 2009. China’s largest steelmaker Baosteel Group and Jiangnan Shipyard, one of China's oldest shipbuilders are both located in Shanghai.^[36] Auto manufacture is another important industry. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group) (“SAIC” for short) is one of the top 3 automotive corporations in China. The company has a strategic partnership with Volkswagen and General Motors.^[37]

Demographics

Photo: The pedestrian-only Nanjing Road

The 2010 census revealed that the population of long-term residents in Shanghai had reached 22.21 million, including 14.12 million registered residents (minus 200,000 who did not live in Shanghai), and 8.3 million migrants who had lived in the city for at least 6 months.^[4] Based on total administrative area population, Shanghai is the second largest of the four direct-controlled municipalities of the People's Republic of China, behind Chongqing which governs a much bigger area. Shanghai's population has grown by a third since the 2000 census which put the population at 16.74 million. New migrants accounted for the entire increase as the natural growth rate in Shanghai has been negative since 1993 due to low birth rate.^[38] There is a serious aging problem among Shanghai's registered residents: as of 2009 only 8.3% of the total were under the age of 14 while 22.54% were over 60.^[4]

According to the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, there were 133,340 foreigners in Shanghai in 2007.^[39] Some foreign expatriates are staying in Shanghai as long-term settlers, renewing Shanghai's reputation as China's global city.^[40] In addition, there are a large number of people from Taiwan living within the municipality (2010 estimates vary around 700,000).^[41] By 2009, the South Korean communities in Shanghai also increased to more than 70,000.^[42]

The life expectancy of Shanghai's registered residents in 2010 reached 82.13 years (79.82 for men and 84.44 for women), the highest in China. In the same year, the maternal mortality rate in Shanghai was 9.61 per 100,000, while the infant mortality rate dropped to 5.97 per 1,000 from 6.58 in 2009.^[43]

Religion

Photo: Longhua Temple's inner courtyard

Due to its cosmopolitan history, Shanghai has a rich blend of religious heritage as shown by the religious buildings and institutions still scattered around the city. Taoism has a presence in Shanghai in the form of several temples, including the City God Temple, at the heart of the old city, and a temple dedicated to the Three Kingdoms general Guan Yu. The Wenmiao is a temple dedicated to Confucius. Buddhism has had a presence in Shanghai since ancient times. Longhua temple, the largest temple in Shanghai, and Jing'an Temple, were first founded in the Three Kingdoms period. Another important temple is the Jade Buddha Temple, which is named after a large statue of Buddha carved out of jade in the temple. In recent decades, dozens of modern temples have been built throughout the city. A predominant religion in Shanghai is Mahayana Buddhism, and Taoism is also followed by many Shanghai residents. Islam came into Shanghai 700 years ago and a mosque was built in 1295 in Songjiang. In 1843, a teachers' college was also set up. The Xiaotaoyuan Mosque is located at 52 Xiaotaoyuan Lane,East Fuxing Road, South District. This is where the Shanghai Muslim Association is also located, which has a reputation known throughout the world. Shanghai has the highest Catholic percentage in Mainland China (2003).^[44] Among Catholic churches, St Ignatius Cathedral in Xujiahui is one of the largest, while She Shan Basilica is the only active pilgrimage site in China. communities. Christianity in Shanghai includes Eastern Orthodox minorities and, since 1996, registered Christian Protestant churches. During World War II thousands of Jews descended upon Shanghai in an effort to flee Hitler’s regime. The Jews lived side-by-side in a designated area called Shanghai Ghetto and formed a vibrant community centered on the Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which is preserved remnant of this portion of Shanghai’s complex religious past.^[45]

Education

Photo: University City District in Songjiang

Shanghai has one of the most developed education systems in China. It is the first city where the 9-year compulsory education is implemented in the country. Shanghai has more than 930 kindergartens, 1,200 primary and 850 middle schools. Over 760,000 middle schools students and 871,000 primary school students are taught by 76,000 and 64,000 teaching staffs respectively.^[46]

Shanghai is also a major centre of higher education teaching and research with over 30 universities and colleges (List of universities and colleges in Shanghai). A number of country's most prestigious universities are based in Shanghai, including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, Shanghai International Studies University and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. In 2010, Shanghai took the top spot in the latest round of the most comprehensive assessment of the world’s state schools. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results revealed that Shanghai students scored highest in every aspect (Maths, Reading and Science) in the world.^[47]

Transport

Public transportation

Photo: Shanghai Metro is the longest metro network in the world.
Photo: The Maglev with a top speed of 431 km/h (268 mph) exiting the Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Photo: Grade separated roads
Photo: Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station

Shanghai has an extensive public transport system, largely based on metros, buses and taxis. Payment of all these public transportation tools can be made by using the Shanghai Public Transportation Card.

Shanghai's rapid transit system, Shanghai Metro, incorporates both subway and light railway lines and extends to every core urban district as well as neighbouring suburban districts. As of 2010, there are twelve metro lines (including the Shanghai Maglev Train), 273 stations and over 420 km of tracks in operation, making it the longest network in the world.^[48] On October 22, 2010, it set a record of daily ridership of 7.548 million.^[49] The fare depends on the length of travel distance starting from 3RMB.

Shanghai also has the world's most extensive bus system with nearly one thousand bus lines, operated by numerous transportation companies.^[50] Bus fare normally costs 2 RMB.

There are also plenty of taxis in Shanghai and the taxi fare has an affordable rate: ¥12 for the first 3 km, (¥16 from 23:00-5:00), and 2.4RMB per kilometer thereafter (3.2RMB from 23:00-5:00). Foreign language speakers can write their destinations in Chinese or simply show maps to the taxi drivers, as many of them speak only limited English. The English skill of a taxi driver in Shanghai can be determined by the number of stars on the license displayed in the car.

Roads

Shanghai is an integral part of the expressways network of eastern China. Expressways from Nanjing (Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway) and Hangzhou (Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway) terminate at Shanghai, allowing direct access to different directions of China. In the city center, there are numerous elevated expressways (skyways), which lessen the traffic pressure of normal roads. However, traffic in and around Shanghai is often heavy and traffic jams are commonplace during rush hour. On normal roads, there are also bicycle lanes. But on many city's main roads, including elevated expressways, bicycles and motorcycles are not allowed.

Private car ownership in Shanghai has also been rapidly increasing in recent years. However, a new private car owner has to participate in monthly private car license plate auction. Around 8,000 private car license plate are provided every month and only those 'richer' bidders can drive their new cars immediately. This license plate 's average price is about 45,291 RMB (5,201 Euro) and perhaps becomes the most expensive piece of steel in the world. The implementation of this unique policy of Shanghai government is to suppress the growth of private car ownership in the city and to resolve the traffic congestion problem.^[51]

Railway

Shanghai has three major railway stations: Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai South Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. All three are connected to the public transport systems and served as transportation hubs in the railway network of China.Two main railways intersect in Shanghai: Jinghu Railway Railway passing through Nanjing, and Huhang Railway (Shanghai–Hangzhou). In the near future, the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway line, which is currently under construction will be added to the service and will become the most important high speed rail line in China.

Air

Shanghai is one of the leading air transport gateways in Asia. The city has two commercial international airports: Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport^[52] Both airports offer domestic and international flights, serving more than 71 million passengers (Pudong 40.4 million, Hongqiao 31.3 million ), and handling 3.7 million tons of cargo (Pudong 3.22 million tons, Hongqiao 480 thousand tons) in 2010.^[53]

Architecture

Photo: The Bund at night.

Shanghai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, contains a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neoclassical HSBC Building to the art deco Sassoon House. A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well preserved, most notably the French Concession. Shanghai has one of the worlds largest number of Art Deco buildings as a result of the construction boom during the 1920s and 30s. One of the most famous architects working in Shanghai was László Hudec, a Hungarian architect who lived in the city between 1918–1947. Some of his most notable Art Deco buildings include the Park Hotel and the Grand Theater. Other prominent architects who contributed to the Art Deco style are Parker & Palmer who designed the Peace Hotel, Metropole Hotel and the Broadway Mansions, and Austrian architect GH Gonda who designed the Capital Theatre. The Bunds first revitalisation started in 1986 with a new promenade by the Architect Snoeren, the completion was in the mid-1990s.

Despite rampant redevelopment, the old city still retains some buildings of a traditional style, such as the Yuyuan Garden, an elaborate traditional garden in the Jiangnan style.

Photo: Shanghai World Financial Center(left) and Jinmao Tower(right)
Photo: Skyscrapers in Pudong
Photo: Renovated shikumen lanes in Xintiandi, now a high-end restaurant and shopping centre.
Photo: The Shanghai International Exhibition Centre, an example of Soviet neoclassical architecture in Shanghai.

In recent years, a large number of architecturally distinctive and even eccentric buildings have sprung up throughout Shanghai. Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre in the People's Square precinct and Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

One uniquely Shanghainese cultural element is the shikumen (石库门) residences, which are two or three-story townhouses, with the front yard protected by a high brick wall. Each residence is connected and arranged in straight alleys, known as a lòngtang (弄堂), pronounced longdang in Shanghainese. The entrance to each alley is usually surmounted by a stylistic stone arch. The whole resembles terrace houses or townhouses commonly seen in Anglo-American countries, but distinguished by the tall, heavy brick wall in front of each house. The name 'shikumen' literally means 'stone storage door', referring to the strong gateway to each house.

The shikumen is a cultural blend of elements found in Western architecture with traditional Lower Yangtze (Jiangnan) Chinese architecture and social behavior. All traditional Chinese dwellings had a courtyard, and the shikumen was no exception. Yet, to compromise with its urban nature, it was much smaller and provided an 'interior haven' to the commotions in the streets, allowing for raindrops to fall and vegetation to grow freely within a residence. The courtyard also allowed sunlight and adequate ventilation into the rooms.

The city also has some beautiful examples of Soviet neoclassical architecture. These buildings were mostly erected during the period from the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 until the Sino-Soviet Split in the late 1960s. During this decade, large numbers of Soviet experts, including architects, poured into China to aid the country in the construction of a communist state. Examples of Soviet neoclassical architecture in Shanghai include what is today the Shanghai International Exhibition Centre. Beijing, the nation's capital, displays an even greater array of this particular type of architecture.

The Pudong district of Shanghai displays a wide range of skyscrapers, many of which rank among the tallest in the world. The most prominent examples include the Jin Mao Tower and the taller Shanghai World Financial Centre, which at 492 metres tall is the tallest skyscraper in mainland China and ranks third in the world. The distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower, at 468 metres, is located nearby, and its lower sphere is now available for living quarters. Another highrise in the Pudong area is the newly finished Development Tower, standing at 269 meters.^[54]

Since 2008, Shanghai has boasted more free-standing buildings above 400m (3) than any other city. In the future, the Shanghai Tower, slated for completion in 2014, will be the tallest building in China. With a height of 632 metres (2074 feet), the building will have 127 floors and a total floor area of 380,000 sqm. The Shanghai Tower began construction in 2008.^[55]

Environment

Parks and resorts

Photo: A park in the centre of Shanghai

Shanghai's parks offer some reprieve from the urban jungle. Due to the scarcity of play space for children, nearly all parks have a children's section. Zhongshan Gongyuan in Downtown Shanghai is famous for its monument of Chopin, the tallest statue dedicated to the composer in the world. Built in 1914 as Jessfield Park, it once contained the campus of St. John's University, Shanghai's first international college; today, it is known for its extensive rose and peony gardens, a large children's play area, and as the location of an important transfer station on the city's metro system. One of the newest is in the Xujiahui District, Xujiahui Gongyuan, built in 1999 on the former grounds of the Great Chinese Rubber Works Factory and the EMI Recording Studio (today's glamorous La Villa Rouge restaurant), with entrances at Zhaojiabang Lu and in the west at the intersection of Hengshang Lu and Yuqin Lu. The park has a man-made lake with a sky bridge running across the park, and offers a pleasant respite for Xujiahui shoppers.

Disneyland Resort

The Shanghai Disneyland Resort Project was approved by the government on November 4, 2009.^[56] It is currently under construction. The resort is planned to be operational by 2013.^[57] A $4.4 billion theme park and resort in Pudong district will have a castle which will be the biggest among Disney's resorts.^[58]

Environmental protection

Public awareness of the environment is growing, and the city is investing in a number of environmental protection projects. A 10-year, US$1 billion cleanup of Suzhou Creek, which runs through the city centre, was expected to be finished in 2008,^[59] and the government also provides incentives for transportation companies to invest in LPG buses and taxis. Air pollution in Shanghai is low compared to other Chinese cities, but the rapid development over the past decades means it is still high on worldwide standards. The government has moved almost all factories within downtown to either outskirts of Shanghai or the neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province in the last two decades. In addition, several parks have been built in the city. As a result, Shanghai's air quality has been steadily improving since 1990s.^[60]

Culture

Photo: Although often viewed as a modern metropolis, Shanghai still contains some picturesque rural suburban areas.

Because of Shanghai's status as the cultural and economic centre of East Asia for the first half of the twentieth century, it is popularly seen as the birthplace of everything considered modern in China. It was in Shanghai, for example, that the first motor car was driven and the first train tracks and modern sewers were laid. It was also the intellectual battleground between socialist writers who concentrated on critical realism, which was pioneered by Lu Xun (鲁迅), Mao Dun (茅盾), Nien Cheng and the famous French novel by André Malraux, Man's Fate, and the more 'bourgeois', more romantic and aesthetically inclined writers, such as Shi Zhecun (施蛰存), Shao Xunmei (邵洵美), Ye Lingfeng (葉靈鳳) and Eileen Chang (张爱玲).

Language

Most Shanghai residents are the descendants of immigrants from the two adjacent provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang who moved to Shanghai in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, regions that generally also speak Wu Chinese. In the past decades, many migrants from other areas of China not mentioned above have come to Shanghai for work. They often cannot speak the local language and therefore use Mandarin as a lingua franca.

The vernacular language is Shanghainese, a dialect of Wu Chinese, while the official language nationwide is Mandarin. The local language is mutually unintelligible with Mandarin, and is thus an inseparable part of the Shanghainese identity. The modern Shanghainese language is based on the Suzhou dialect of Wu, the prestige dialect of Wu spoken within the Chinese city of Shanghai prior to the modern expansion of the city, the Ningbo dialect of Wu, and the dialect of Shanghai's traditional areas now within the Hongkou, Baoshan and Pudong districts, which is simply called '本地话' , or 'the local language'. It is influenced to a lesser extent by the languages of other nearby regions from which large numbers of people have migrated to Shanghai since the 20th century. The prevalence of Mandarin fluency is generally higher for those born after Liberation than those born before, due to greater centralised control.

Museums

Photo: The Shanghai Museum, located in People's Square.

Shanghai boasts several museums of regional and national importance. The Shanghai Museum of art and history has one of the best collections of Chinese historical artifacts in the world, including important archaeological finds since 1949. The Shanghai Art Museum, located in the former Shanghai Race Club building in the People's Square, is a major art museum holding both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Shanghai Natural History Museum is a large scale natural history museum. In addition, there is a variety of smaller, specialist museums, some housed in important historical sites such as the site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Cinema

Besides literature, Shanghai was also the birthplace of Chinese cinema and theater. China’s first short film, The Difficult Couple (難夫難妻, Nanfu Nanqi, 1913), and the country’s first fictional feature film, An Orphan Rescues His Grandfather (孤兒救祖記, Gu'er jiu zuji, 1923) were both produced in Shanghai. These two films were very influential, and established Shanghai as the centre of Chinese film-making. Shanghai’s film industry went on to blossom during the early Thirties, generating Marilyn Monroe-like stars such as Zhou Xuan. Another film star, Jiang Qing, went on to become Madame Mao Zedong. The talent and passion of Shanghainese filmmakers following World War II and the Communist revolution in China contributed enormously to the development of the Hong Kong film industry. Many aspects of Shanghainese popular culture ('Shanghainese Pops') were transferred to Hong Kong by the numerous Shanghainese emigrants and refugees after the Communist Revolution. The movie In the Mood for Love, which was directed by Wong Kar-wai (a native Shanghainese himself), depicts one slice of the displaced Shanghainese community in Hong Kong and the nostalgia for that era, featuring 1940s music by Zhou Xuan.

Arts

Photo: No. 4 of Hundred Thousand Scenes (十萬圖之四). Painting by Ren Xiong, a pioneer of the Shanghai School of Chinese art; ca. 1850.
Photo: Two women wear Shanghai-styled qipao while playing golf in this 1930s Shanghai advertisement.

The Shanghai School (海上画派, Haishang Huapai, which is shortened to 海派, Haipai) is a very important Chinese school of traditional arts during the Qing Dynasty and the whole of the twentieth century. Under efforts of masters from this school, traditional Chinese art reached another climax and continued to the present in forms of the 'Chinese painting' (中国画) or guohua (国画) for short. The Shanghai School challenged and broke the literati tradition of Chinese art, while also paying technical homage to the ancient masters and improving on existing traditional techniques. Members of this school were themselves educated literati who had come to question their very status and the purpose of art, and had anticipated the impending modernisation of Chinese society. In an era of rapid social change, works from the Shanghai School were widely innovative and diverse, and often contained thoughtful yet subtle social commentary. The most well-known figures from this school are Qi Baishi (齊白石), Ren Xiong (任熊), Ren Yi (任伯年), Zhao Zhiqian (赵之谦), Wu Changshuo (吴昌硕), Sha Menghai (沙孟海, calligraphist), Pan Tianshou (潘天寿), Fu Baoshi (傅抱石) and Wang Zhen (Wang Yiting) (王震). In literature, the term was used in the 1930s by some May Fourth Movement intellectuals, notably Zhou Zuoren and Shen Congwen, as a derogatory label for the literature produced in Shanghai at the time. They argued that so-called Shanghai School literature was merely commercial and therefore did not advance social progress. This became known as the Jingpai (Beijing School) versus Haipai (Shanghai School) debate.

Songjiang School (淞江派) is a small painting school during the Ming Dynasty. It is commonly considered as a further development of the Wu School, or Wumen School (吴门画派), in the then cultural centre of the region, Suzhou. Huating School (华亭派) was another important art school during the middle to late Ming Dynasty. Its main achievements were in traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy and poetry, and especially famous for its Renwen painting (人文画). Dong Qichang (董其昌) is one of the masters from this school.

Fashion

Other Shanghainese cultural artifacts include the cheongsam (Shanghainese: zansae), a modernisation of the traditional Chinese/Manchurian qipao (Chinese: 旗袍; fitting). This contrasts sharply with the traditional qipao which was designed to conceal the figure and be worn regardless of age. The cheongsam went along well with the western overcoat and the scarf, and portrayed a unique East Asian modernity, epitomizing the Shanghainese population in general. As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed, too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves and, the black lace frothing at the hem of a ball gown. By the 1940s, cheongsams came in transparent black, beaded bodices, matching capes and even velvet. And later, checked fabrics became also quite common. The 1949 Communist Revolution ended the cheongsam and other fashions in Shanghai. However, the Shanghainese styles have seen a recent revival as stylish party dresses. The fashion industry has been rapidly revitalizing in the past decade. Like Shanghai's architecture, local fashion designers strive to create a fusion of western and traditional designs, often with innovative if uncontroversial results.

Sports

Photo: F1 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai

Shanghai is home to several professional football teams, including Shanghai Shenhua of the Chinese Super League, which is one of the China's most popular and most successful football clubs. Shanghai owns a basketball team as well in the Chinese Basketball Association, the Shanghai Sharks, which developed Yao Ming before he entered the NBA. Shanghai also has an ice hockey team, China Dragon, and the baseball team, Shanghai Golden Eagles, which plays in the China Baseball League.

Shanghai is the hometown of many outstanding and well-known Chinese professional athletes, such as the basketball player Yao Ming, the 110-meters stride contestant Liu Xiang and the table tennis player Wang Liqin.

Beginning in 2004, Shanghai started hosting Chinese Grand Prix, one round of the Formula One World Championship. The race was staged at the Shanghai International Circuit. In 2010, Shanghai also became the host city of German Touring Car Masters (DTM), which raced in street circuit in Pudong.

Shanghai also holds ATP Masters 1000 tennis series and HSBC Golf Championship every year.

List of sister cities of Shanghai

Africa

Casablanca, Morocco – since 1986 Alexandria, Egypt – 1992 Windhoek, Namibia – 1995 Maputo, Mozambique – 1999 Algiers, Algeria – 2003

Asia

Yokohama, Japan – 1973^[62] Osaka, Japan – 1974 Osaka Prefecture, Japan – 1980 Hamhung, North Korea – 1982 Manila, Philippines – 1983 Karachi, Pakistan – 1984 Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan – 1986 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 1990 Busan, South Korea – 1993 Haifa, Israel – 1993 Tashkent, Uzbekistan – 1994 Aden, Yemen – 1995 Chiang Mai, Thailand – 2000 Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 2000 Colombo, Sri Lanka – 2003 Phnom Penh, Cambodia – 2005 ^[63] Nizhnevartovsk, Russia – 2007 Herat, Afghanistan – 2008

Europe

Milan, Italy – 1979 Rotterdam, Netherlands – 1979 Zagreb, Croatia – 1980 Antwerp, Belgium – 1984 Gdansk, Poland – 1985 Istanbul, Turkey – 1989 Piraeus, Greece – 1985 Gothenburg, Sweden – 1986 Hamburg, Germany – 1986^[64] Marseille, France – 1987 Saint Petersburg, Russia – 1988 Porto, Portugal – 1995^[65] London, UK – 1996 Espoo, Finland – 1998 Liverpool, UK – 1999 Barcelona, Spain – 2001^[66] Oslo, Norway – 2001 Constanţa, Romania – 2002 Aarhus County, Denmark – 2003 Bratislava Region, Slovakia – 2003 Lefkosia, Cyprus – 2004 Salzburg, Austria – 2004 Cork, Ireland – 2005 Basel, Switzerland – 2007 Borås, Sweden – 2007 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – 2008 Most, Czech Republic Belgrade, Serbia - 2008 Yerevan, Armenia – 2009

North America

San Francisco, United States – 1979 Chicago, United States – 1985 Montreal, Canada – 1985 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba – 1996 Jalisco State, Mexico – 1998 Winston-Salem, United States – 2006

Oceania

Dunedin, New Zealand – 1994 Port Vila, Vanuatu – 1994 Hauraki District, New Zealand – 2003

South America

São Paulo, Brazil – 1988 Bogotá, Colombia – 1992 Rosario, Argentina – 1997 Guayaquil, Ecuador – 2001 Valparaiso, Chile – 2001 Manaus, Brazil – 2009 Lima, Peru – 2010