Shanghai is a modern metropolis that has emerged from an extraordinary and fascinating past. Located on the east coast of China, Shanghai stands at the mouth of the Yangzi River facing the Pacific Ocean. Shanghai is the largest industrial city in the country, an important port for foreign trade and its markets are flourishing. The city’s Special Economic Zone in Pudong is ensuring that Shanghai will once again be a major financial center in Asia.
As one of China`s treaty ports in the 19th century, Shanghai was exposed to many international influences and the architecture of the old French, British, American and Russian quarters add to the unique atmosphere of Shanghai.
Some of the key events in China`s modern history took place in Shanghai. It was home to Dr Sun Yatsen, the father of republican China and it was also the location for some of the preliminary meetings of the Chinese Communist Party.
These first secret meetings of China`s future leaders took place against the backdrop of the city at its most decadent. Shanghai in the 20s was the most sophisticated city in Asia. It was the era of beautiful people in fashionable clothes attending tea dances in art deco buildings and rubbing shoulders with gangsters in ritzy night clubs, all with an exotic Shanghai-style glamour.
Shanghai is now an exciting mix of the old and the new. The charms of the former concession areas contrast with skyscrapers, criss-crossing traffic, a futuristic metro and boundless energy. A walk along the Bund is still a must in Shanghai and reveals some of the changes the 20th century brought to the city. The nightlife is happening once more and there are plenty of excellent restaurants, bars and entertainment to discover in Shanghai.
