City Introduction

(Image: chs.meet-in-shanghai.net)

Shanghai is a fantastic city which always combines the most fashionable elements with the most classic and nostalgic Chinese feelings. Listen to the century old bell in the morning sunshine along the Bund, visit the classic gardens while eating small steamed buns in the City God Temple, or go shopping on West Nanjing Road. Shanghai is a city full of a variety of wonderful things all the year round.

In Shanghai, you not only can keep in touch with many things in fashion, but also explore and visit the oldest historic civilization. More than one hundred years ago, after opening as a commercial port, Shanghai became a city with convenient transport and varieties of prosperous business activities, gathering a large number of traders and many civilized people. Civilization is passed on orderly and Shanghai is thus called the forefather of nationalism. Known as a “Sleepless City”, this metropolis is charming from beginning to end, nostalgic but also fashionable, with both oriental and western style.

History and Culture

5000～6000 years ago, ancient Chinese have settled on this land. During the Warring States Period, Shanghai was part of the fief of the Lord Chun Shen of Chu State, one of the four lords of the Warring States. So Shanghai is also called Shen. During the 4th and 5th century, downstream of Song Jiang River (now called Suzhou Creek ) was called Hu Du (Hu is a fishing tool, Du refers to that rivers stream into the sea), which gave Shanghai another nickname Hu. Shanghai belonged to Huating County in Tang Dynasty and was changed to Shanghai town during the Song Dynasty, and later became a trade port during the Xianchun Period in Southern Song dynasty. From the Yuan Dynasty (1292), five towns in the northeastern of Huating County were divided to establish Shanghai County and the county government was settled in Shanghai town.

In 1553, Shanghai built the walls to fight against the invasions of Japan and became a city with a radius of 4.5km. From then on, Shanghai accelerated its pace of development, being the country’s largest cotton textile handicraft center. Until the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai was forced to be turned into a commercial port, one of the biggest ports for trade. After that, the imperialist powers had invaded Shanghai and competed to set up concessions in Shanghai. They built a lot of houses and facilities among which the exotic buildings cluster on the Bund and People’s Park are representatives.

Over the past century, Shanghai became the “Adventurer’s Paradise” of the foreign invaders. On November 29, 1845, Mujiu Gong, one of the executives in Shanghai, published Land Statute, stipulating the scope of English settlement and the methods of tenancy. On April 6, 1849, France obtained a settlement in Shanghai. On July 11, 1857, Municipal committee was founded and arbitrarily altered the Land Statute. England, France and America began to employ armed police. On September 21, 1863, British concession and American concession were merged into one. In 1899, these two countries continued to expand their land and changed its name into international public concession.

In July, 1921, the Communist Party of China was secretly founded in the French concession and held the first Congress of the Communist Party of China. In 1925, with the outbreak of May Thirtieth Movement, Chinese people’s armed struggle began. In 1937, with the outbreak of the tragic Battle of Shanghai, Shanghai citizens were involved in the war. On May 27, 1949, Shanghai was liberated.

After the 1990s, Shanghai became the most important economic, financial and trading center in China again. In 1993, the development and opening up of Pudong accelerated the pace of development of the city. Nowadays, it has become the country’s economic center and an international financial center.

The 2010 World Expo was held in Shanghai. The word “Shanghai Style” was created by some Beijing writers in the 1920s, which was used to criticize some scholars and their styles in writing. Shanghai Style is the opposite of Beijing school. These two schools symbolize two different styles of culture. Beijing is traditional while Shanghai is commercial and colorful, a rebelliously maverick and a product of combination of China and West.

Before opening the port in 1843, Shanghai belonged to Jiangnan culture and originated from the ancient Wu and Yue culture in the Yangtze River. The sensitivity and delicacy in Shanghai culture are passed on from the Wu and Yue culture. Shanghai culture is tolerant to any other cultures and is good at accepting new cultures genes, which forms the diversity of Shanghai culture.

The immigrants in Shanghai were mainly made up of people from Zhejiang in the south and Jiangsu in the north after the opening of Shanghai port. The spirits of bold adventure and open personality in the Wu Yue culture were the creative characteristics in Shanghai culture. Later, Western civilization began to appear on the land of China. Shanghai was transformed from a small town into a commercial and economic center all over the country. Shanghai culture with both the Chinese and Western culture are gradually formed.

The relationship between the foreign civilization and Chinese civilization in Shanghai culture has an open attitude. So is it between the elite and popular culture. They dare to break the rules, reform and innovate and adopt the ideas widely. “Be tolerant to diversity and inclusiveness” is the essence of Shanghai culture, and it is reflected in all aspects of Shanghai culture.

Natural Environment

Shanghai is part of the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta, with an average elevation of about four meters above the sea level, the west of which are many residual hills, including Tianma Mountain, Xue Mountain, Phoenix Hill and so on. Among them, Tianma Mountain is the highest point of land in Shanghai, with 99.8 meters above the sea level, on which stands a monument written “The Peak of She Mountain” on it. On the waters, there are Dajinshan Island, Xiaojinshan Island, and Fushan Island (also called Turtle Mountain), Sheshan Island, Xiaoyangshan Island and other rock islands. At the north mouth of the Shanghai Yangtze River into the sea, there are three islands called Chongming Island, Changxing Island and Hengsha Island. Chongming Island is the third largest island in China, formed by alluvial silt from Yangtze River, with an area of 1041.21 m2 and an elevation of 3.5 m to 4.5 m. The area of Changxing Island is 88.54 m2 while Hengsha Island is 55.74 m2.

Climate

Shanghai has a subtropical monsoon climate with a clear distinction between the four seasons where sunshine is abundant and rainfall is plentiful. The climate in Shanghai is mild and moist, in which spring and autumn are short while winter and summer are longer. In 2013, the city’s average temperature is 17.6 degrees Celsius. Sunshine lasts for 1885.9 hours and precipitation is 1173.4 mm. More than 60% of the annual rainfall is concentrated in the rainy season from May to September.

Holiday arrangement

The same with Chinese official holidays

New Year’s Day January 1-January 3

Spring Festival Lunar New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the lunar January

Tomb-Sweeping Day April 2-April 4

International Labor’s Day April 30 -May 2

Dragon Boat Festival June 9 -June 11

Mid-Autumn Festival September 15 -September 17

National Day October 1 -October 7