Shanghai Introduction
Shanghai, sometimes called 'Paris of the Orient', is China's commercial and financial centre. Its modern, international and fashionable reputation entice travelers and visitors from all over the world, who come to delight in its shopping heavens and wide variety of entertainment or simply to experience the glitz of China's most cosmopolitan city.
Shanghai (short form 'Hu'), is a bustling international port in the southeast of China, surrounded by the great Yangtze River Delta to the north, the blue East Sea of China to the east, the beautiful Hangzhou Bay to the south and the fertile inner provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu to the west. Chongming Island at the mouth of Yangtze River is within its prefecture and is the third largest island in China after Taiwan and Hainan.
The city is not a huge land mass: it is around 6,340.5 sq km (1.6 million acres) which represents just 0.06% of the whole area of China. Yet the regular population of the city has reached as many as 17.8 million, with wild fluctuations due to its millions of temporary residents. Influenced by the subtropical ocean and monsoons, the climate here is very mild and damp and fit for traveling almost all the year, except the rainy season from May to September which requires a bit more preparation.
Shanghai, which started life as a fishing village, was finally established as a county more than 700 years ago. A saying spreads that 'Two thousand years' history is witnessed in Xian, one thousand in Beijing while one hundred in Shanghai'. The city had been one of the liveliest stages and opening gateway to foreign countries in the eventful 20th century and has gradually prospered into an international metropolitan. In fact, Shanghai's boom over recent years has contributed greatly to the reform process and opening up of China.
Map Foreign Consulates
Things to Do
The central Huangpu River and The Bund are the best points to appreciate the thriving scene unfolding in the city. The river, where huge and small ships come and go everyday, represents a snapshot of the city in all its bustle and glory. It divides the city into two contrasting parts: Pudong (East of the river) and Puxi (West of the river). Pudong is a newly developed area and where many modern skyscraper constructions have mushroomed over the past decade years.
In addition, the Jade Buddha Temple, which has a collection of several exquisite jade Buddhas, the uniquely designed Shanghai Museum and Xujiahui, the booming shopping center will probably give you another glimpse of this city that is modern but still retains its Chinese characteristics.
Other Attractions: Longhua Temple, Yuyuan Garden
How to Get to/around Shanghai
When traveling in Shanghai, you really notice its rapid modernization from the convenient transportation and communication networks. Shanghai is equipped with two first-class international airports - Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao Airport, and three railway stations that link with hundreds of cities and regions at home and abroad. The combination of the magnetic levitation vehicle (high speed train service), subways, buses and taxis in and around the city will doubtless provide a comfortable and satisfactory service for visitors.