Shanghai
Lying on the estuary of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is the new rising star in
the East. It is a gigantic bustling city with a lot of cunning entrepreneurs.
Being the largest city in China, it hosts over 14 million inhabitants. Shanghai
contains the most striking blend of oriental and western cultures and of the
past and present. In this city, European-style buildings can be seen standing
alongside traditional Chinese structures and ancient temples. Modern ocean-going
vessels sail past junks.
The city remained a small fishing village and did not become a town until the
mid-13th century. The town prospered from foreign trade in the Qing Dynasty.
After the Opium War in 1840, Shanghai was forced by European powers to open as a
"treaty port." From that time on aggressors from many countries began to flock
in and the city became known as a notorious "paradise for adventurers." Carving
out their own spheres of influence, they settled there by seizing their
respective "concessions," which were characteristic of this colonial period.
After the Chinese won the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), Shanghai has changed from a consumer city of the past into a major modern flourishing commercial and industrial center. The center is dominated by colonial buildings, culminating in 'The Bund'. The city is in the process of rebuilding itself. More than 15 million construction workers help to shape the city into one of the world's most modern cities with dozens of the latest-fashion high-rise glass and steel buildings of the same internationality found all over the world.