Shanghai, Global financial center in eastern China
Description
Shanghai is a megacity in eastern China where glass towers and steel skyscrapers line the Huangpu River while low residential blocks with narrow lanes and older shikumen houses extend behind them. The city divides into districts that each fulfill different roles, from financial centers to industrial zones near the outskirts.
History
A small fishing village expanded quickly after 1842 when the Treaty of Nanjing forced the harbor to open. Foreign settlements emerged along the waterfront and transformed the site into an international trading center through the middle of the 20th century.
Culture
Street markets open every day with vendors calling out prices in Shanghainese dialect while neighbors haggle over vegetables, fish and dumplings. Older residents gather before sunrise in public parks to practice slow martial movements or sit together drinking tea and chatting.
Practical
The subway system links all major areas and both airports with trains running from early morning until late evening. It helps to buy a rechargeable travel card since handling cash has become harder at many stations.
Did you know?
The tower district holds more buildings above 150 meters (492 feet) tall than any other city worldwide. Many of these structures rose within a single decade during the early 2000s, changing the skyline faster than anywhere else at that time.
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Shanghai Tower
3.1 km
Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge
124.6 km
Shanghai World Financial Center
3.2 km
The Bund
1.7 km
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
276.7 km
Tron Lightcycle Power Run
20.1 km
Oriental Pearl Tower
2.7 km
Jin Mao Tower
3.1 km
Yu Garden
1.8 km
Shanghai International Circuit
26.5 km
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
265.1 km
Suzhou Zhongnan Center
76.3 km
Mercedes-Benz Arena
5 km
Shanghai Stadium
6.2 km
Nanjing Road
573 m
Lake Tai
125.8 km
Ming Xiaoling
266.1 km
Sihang Warehouse
1.1 km
Humble Administrator's Garden
81 km
City God Temple of Shanghai
1.9 km
Classical Gardens of Suzhou
80.9 km
Donghai Bridge
71.2 km
Shanghai Museum
268 m
Hanshan Temple
86.5 km
Yangshan Quarry
251.7 km
Jade Buddha Temple
3 km
Jing'an Temple
2.8 km
Presidential Palace of Nanjing
269.3 km
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