Shanghai

Not to be confused with Sangai.

The Lujiazui skyline in Shanghai

The location of Shanghai in China

Shanghai (Chinese: 上海, Shanghainese pronunciation: [zɑ̃.hɛ] (listen); Mandarin pronunciation: [ʂâŋ.xài] (listen)) is the biggest city in China and one of the world's largest cities. It had about 24,000,000 people in 2017. It is a special province-level city in China ("municipality"), like Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing.

Name

Shanghai in Chinese writing

Further information: Chinese language

The Mandarin Chinese name of Shanghai is Shànghǎi, which is written as 上海 in Chinese characters. This name means "On-the-Sea" because Shanghai used to be next to the East China Sea. Today, dirt from the Yangtze River has made Pudong much bigger and downtown Shanghai is about 40 kilometers (25 mi) from the open sea. The city has become so big, though, that its government now controls other areas like Pudong and Fengxian that are still beside the sea.

Shanghai's name is a little simpler than most other Chinese cities' names, because it was a small fishing village for a long time. The short way to say its name in Chinese is still Hù (沪). A hu was an old kind of fishing trap that was made with bamboo and nets. The people around Shanghai used to use them to catch fish and crabs in Suzhou Creek and other waterways.

Geography

Shanghai from space (2016)

Shanghai is at the mouth of the Yangtze River, where it meets the East China Sea in the middle of China's east coast. Downtown Shanghai is located just south of the place where Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu River. This is about 20 kilometers (12 mi) southwest of where the Huangpu meets the Yangtze River. The area between downtown and the Yangtze used to be farmland and other cities like Wusong and Baoshan, but now Shanghai is so big that they are part of it.

History

The "Bloody Saturday" photo of a baby crying in the South Railway Station after the Japanese bombing of Shanghai (1937)

For most of China's history, Shanghai was a small fishing village. The big cities nearby were Suzhou and Hangzhou. Under the Ming and Qing, Shanghai had a big city wall and started to grow.

Under the Ming and the Qing, people from other countries could only buy and sell things with China on an island near Guangzhou. The British effectively controlled Shanghai from the mid 19th century until World War II. Parts of Shanghai were controlled by the UK, the US, and France. This control was ended by the Japanese during World War II.

The Chinese Communist Party was founded in Shanghai.

Landmarks

The SWFC and Jinmao, Shanghai, and Oriental Pearl Towers

See the main article: Famous places in Shanghai

Shanghai attracts many tourists each year. Its landmarks include:

Amusement parks

Shanghai Disneyland Park, Happy Valley, Jinjiang Amusement Park

Commercial Centers

Huamu, Lujiazui, Wujiaochang, Xintiandi, Xujiahui, Zhenru

Culture venues

Hongkou Football Stadium, Pudong Football Stadium, Shanghai Library, Shanghai Grand Theater, Tianzifang arts, crafts, and folklore

Gardens

Guyi Garden, Yu Garden

Museums

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, China Art Museum, Shanghai Natural Museum,

Nature

Sheshan, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, Shanghai Wildlife Park

Sightseeing locations

East Nanjing Road, People's Square, Site of the First CPC National Congress, The Bund, Zhujiajiao

Temples

City God Temple of Shanghai, Confucian Temple of Shanghai, Jing'an Temple, Jade Buddha Temple, Longhua Temple, Zhenru Temple

Towers

Shanghai World Financial Center, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower

Business

Shanghai is home to the China Stock Exchange, along with Shenzhen, and is the financial center of China.

Sister Cities

• Dunedin, New Zealand

Related pages

• Shanghainese food

Other websites

• Official website Archived 2008-05-02 at the Wayback Machine