Shanghai
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Where is Shanghai located?
Shanghai is a province-level municipality (or shi) located in east-central China. It sits on the coast of the East China Sea, near the mouth of the Yangtze River to the north and Hangzhou Bay to the south. Shanghai is one of the worldâs largest seaports and a major industrial and commercial center in China. Shanghai is Chinaâs most populous city, and the municipality is its most populous urban area.
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Why is Shanghai an important city in China?
Shanghai is an important city in China because it is one of the worldâs largest seaports and a major industrial and commercial center. Shanghai was one of the first Chinese ports opened to Western trade and has long dominated the nationâs commerce. It has since become an industrial giant, supplying Chinaâs growing domestic demands.
Shanghai has also undergone extensive physical changes with the establishment of industrial suburbs and housing complexes, the improvement of public works, and the provision of parks and other recreational facilities. The city has attempted to eradicate the economic and psychological legacies of its exploited past through physical and social transformation to support its major role in the modernization of China.
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What is the Huangpu River, and how does it affect Shanghai?
The Huangpu River is a 70-mile-long river in eastern China, a tributary of the Yangtze, flowing past Shanghai. It serves as Shanghaiâs main water source and an excellent harbor, allowing oceangoing vessels to sail upriver to the city at high tide.
The Huangpu River divides Shanghai into two main sections: Pudong to the east and Puxi to the west. Shanghai radiates from the confluence of the Huangpu and Suzhou rivers.
Despite being heavily polluted by industrial discharge, domestic sewage, and ship waste, the Huangpu is essential to Shanghai's transport and economy. The riverfront has been developed with wharves and terminals to increase the cityâs port capacity.
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What are some famous landmarks in Shanghai?
Shanghai boasts a wealth of cultural attractions, including historical sites, museums, and scenic gardens. The Shanghai Museum houses extensive collections of artifacts. The Yu Garden, dating back to the 16th century, exemplifies Ming dynasty architecture.
Other famous landmarks include the Jin Mao Tower, once China's tallest building, and the Shanghai World Financial Center, a mixed-use skyscraper. The Park Hotel, opened in 1934, represents the architectural achievements in Shanghai before World War II.
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How has Shanghai's history shaped its culture?
Shanghai's culture is a product of its unique history, blending traditional Chinese elements with international influences. Originally a small fishing village, Shanghai grew into a prominent port during the Song dynasty. The city's transformation accelerated in the mid-19th century when it was opened to foreign trade, leading to the establishment of foreign concessions.
This period of commercial imperialism significantly shaped Shanghai, making it a melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures. The city became a hub for art, theatre, and cultural institutions like the Shanghai Museum and the Dashijie theatrical center, reflecting a diverse cultural landscape. Even after 1949, Shanghai maintained its position as a cultural and technological center, further contributing to its unique identity.
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Why is Shanghai considered a global city today?
Shanghai is considered a global city today because it serves as a hub within the globalized economic system, with significant competitive advantages. Beginning in the late 20th century, Shanghai transformed itself into Chinaâs most advanced city and the center of the countryâs economic life.
Shanghaiâs rise is linked to the expansion of transnational corporations and the rise of flexible production within urban areas. It is a major transportation center in China with an excellent harbor. Its port has greatly increased the handling capacity of the cityâs port. Massive construction projects, especially in the Pudong area, have reshaped the cityâs skyline.
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Shanghai, city and province-level shi (municipality), east-central China. It is one of the worldâs largest seaports and a major industrial and commercial centre of China.
The city is located on the coast of the East China Sea between the mouth of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) to the north and the bay of Hangzhou to the south. The municipalityâs area includes the city itself, surrounding suburbs, and an agricultural hinterland. Shanghai is Chinaâs most-populous city, and the municipality is its most-populous urban area.
Shanghai was one of the first Chinese ports to be opened to Western trade, and it long dominated the nationâs commerce. Since the communist victory in 1949, however, it has become an industrial giant whose products supply Chinaâs growing domestic demands. The city has also undergone extensive physical changes with the establishment of industrial suburbs and housing complexes, the improvement of public works, and the provision of parks and other recreational facilities. Shanghai has attempted to eradicate the economic and psychological legacies of its exploited past through physical and social transformation to support its major role in the modernization of China. Area Shanghai municipality, 2,400 square miles (6,200 square km). Pop (2010) city, 20,217,748; Shanghai municipality, 23,019,196; (2014 est.) Shanghai municipality, 24,256,800.
Landscape
City site
Shanghai municipality is bordered by Jiangsu province to the north and west and Zhejiang province to the southwest. It includes the 18 districts constituting the city of Shanghai and several islands in the mouth of the Yangtze and offshore to the southeast in the East China Sea. The largest island, Chongming, has an area of 489 square miles (1,267 square km) and extends more than 50 miles (80 km) upstream from the mouth of the Yangtze; it and the islands of Changxing and Hengsha administratively comprise a county under Shanghai municipality.
The mainland portion of the city lies on an almost level deltaic plain with an average elevation of 10 to 16 feet (3 to 5 metres) above sea level. It is crisscrossed by an intricate network of canals and waterways that connect the municipality with the Lake Tai region just to the west.
Climate
The cityâs maritime location fosters a mild climate characterized by minimal seasonal contrast. The average annual temperature is about 61 °F (16 °C); the July maximum averages about 80 °F (27 °C), and the average January minimum is about 37 °F (3 °C). About 45 inches (1,140 mm) of precipitation fall annually, with the heaviest rainfall in June and the lightest in December.
City layout
As Chinaâs main industrial centre, Shanghai has serious air, water, and noise pollution. Industrial relocation and construction in the suburbs since the 1950s initially helped alleviate central city air pollution, although high population density and mixed industrial-residential land use continued to cause problems. The Suzhou River (the lower reach of Wusong River) and the Huangpu River (a tributary of the Yangtze), which flow through the city, are severely polluted from industrial discharges, domestic sewage, and shipsâ wastes; nonetheless, the Huangpu is Shanghaiâs main water source. Environmental protection and urban cleanliness are enhanced by industrial and solid waste resource-recovery operations run by a municipal corporation. More than 1,000 different materials are recycled, including plastic, chemical fibre and residues, machine components, oil and grease, rags, human hair, and animal bones.
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The municipality radiates toward the north, west, and south from the confluence of the Suzhou and Huangpu rivers. Surrounding the central core is a transitional zone on both banks of the Huangpu, which encompasses a partially rural area of about 160 square miles. The banks of the Suzhou River, an important inland waterway connection to the interior hinterland, are occupied by a westward arterial extension of the transitional zone. To the south, however, the transitional zone terminates abruptly a few miles south of the central Shanghai urban core, at the Huangpu.
The Pudong district, directly east across the Huangpu from the central business district of Puxi, was founded in 1870 as one of the earliest industrial areas; it was once notorious as the cityâs most extensive and appalling slum, and today it is home to some of the tallest buildings in the world. The Lujiazui finance and trade zone as well as modern business complexesâincluding the 88-story Jin Mao Tower (completed 1999), the 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center (completed 2008), and the 128-story Shanghai Tower (completed 2015)âare now located there, and the Pudong New District was established in the area in 1993. A large site along the Huangpu in Pudong housed the major portion of the Expo Shanghai 2010 world exposition in 2010, with a smaller site across the river in Puxi.