English Name: Shanghai
Nicknames: Shencheng, Magic City, Greater Shanghai, Shanghai Beach, Paris of the East
Population: 14.395 million people (in 2016)
Dialect: Wu dialect
Administrative Region Category: Municipality directly under the Central Government
Area: 6,340 square kilometers
Telephone Area Code: 021
License Plate Code: Hu A – Hu M (as of 2012), Hu C, Hu R
Postal Code: 200000
Geographical Location: South bank of the estuary of the Yangtze River
Administrative Code: 310000
Gross Regional Product: 2,746.615 billion yuan (in 2016)
Per Capita GDP: 113,600 yuan (in 2016)
City Tree: French parasol tree
City Flower: Magnolia.
Shanghai
The city at the forefront of China. With the highest economic aggregate of 4.32 trillion yuan, it leads the country. With the highest skyline of 632 meters, it stands unrivaled. With the longest subway mileage of 831 kilometers, it is unparalleled… The legend of the Magic City is not achieved in a day. In the more than 170 years since its opening as a port, it has stood several times at the forefront of the times, rolling in the waves of reform. Always ready to connect with the world and always ready to get rid of the old and bring in the new.
Shanghai: A City of Endless Charm
Wutong Road, Shikumen, Huangpu River.
Magnolias, coffee shops, old villas.
Here, pedestrians and vehicles flow continuously.
Here, modern buildings soar into the clouds.
There is the gentle charm of Jiangnan.
There is also the fashion trend of an international metropolis.
This place is fascinating.
In the eyes of a thousand people,
Shanghai has a thousand kinds of amorous feelings.
Magnolias, coffee shops, old villas.
Here, pedestrians and vehicles flow continuously.
Here, modern buildings soar into the clouds.
There is the gentle charm of Jiangnan.
There is also the fashion trend of an international metropolis.
This place is fascinating.
In the eyes of a thousand people,
Shanghai has a thousand kinds of amorous feelings.
- Impressions of Shanghai
The forest of historical buildings and the bustling traffic, and the bustling crowds flowing in the prosperous streets and alleys. This is the first impression of Shanghai Beach for many people.
△The unique buildings of the Bund form a scenic line for Shanghai’s external display.
In this city where tradition and modernity intersect, the modern urban sense and nostalgic fireworks coexist, fascinating many people.
“Hu” and “Shen” are nicknames for Shanghai.
According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this place was the fiefdom of Lord Chunshen of the State of Chu, so it is called “Shen.” In the Jin Dynasty, the bamboo fishing tool created by local residents was called “Hu.” The place where the river flows into the sea is called “Du.” The lower reaches of the Songjiang River were called “Hudu.” Later, “Hu” evolved into “Hu” and became the name of Shanghai. By the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai established a customs and opened its ports for trade.
According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this place was the fiefdom of Lord Chunshen of the State of Chu, so it is called “Shen.” In the Jin Dynasty, the bamboo fishing tool created by local residents was called “Hu.” The place where the river flows into the sea is called “Du.” The lower reaches of the Songjiang River were called “Hudu.” Later, “Hu” evolved into “Hu” and became the name of Shanghai. By the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai established a customs and opened its ports for trade.
Shanghai History Museum, Shanghai Revolutionary History Museum
In 1990, the Pudong New Area plan of Shanghai was launched, and a new Shanghai began to rise rapidly. A few years later, in Pudong, which was originally a stretch of tidal flats, a building about 468 meters high stood towering. It is called “Oriental Pearl Tower.”
Oriental Pearl Tower.
In the nearly two decades that followed, skyscrapers such as the Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Shanghai Tower were successively built, constantly refreshing the boundary of the city’s skyline.
The skyscrapers in Lujiazui that pierce through the clouds have become one of the impressions people have of Shanghai.
Nanjing Road near the Bund is a must-visit place for tourists in Shanghai and is known as “the first commercial street in China.”
At the other end of Nanjing Road is Jing’an Temple. With upturned eaves and interlocking halls, the ancient temple located in the midst of prosperity and noise is particularly secluded against the backdrop of neon lights.
- The Style of Shanghai
In many people’s impressions, Shanghai people pay attention to details, have a taste for quality, and have an inherent temperament. They have high requirements for the quality of life. They are active in thinking, careful in calculation, and their manners reveal confidence and wisdom.
In their gestures and expressions, Shanghai people may inadvertently reveal: “We Shanghai people, style is extremely important. Do you know?”
The attitude towards life of many Shanghai people – elegant yet of quality, high-end but not luxurious, full of charm and style, and it extends to all aspects.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Shanghai brand watches, Forever brand bicycles, Butterfly brand sewing machines… of high quality and exquisite workmanship were captivating. As a large number of Shanghai people went out of Shanghai, they brought the “Shanghai style” to the whole country: narrow-legged pants, jackets, cream cakes, White Rabbit toffees…
The milky “White Rabbit.”
- Must-Have Items in Shanghai
Holding coffee in the left hand and desserts in the right hand is a must-have for many Shanghai people.
According to incomplete statistics, there are currently seven to eight thousand coffee shops in Shanghai. What might wake up Shanghai people every morning is not six alarms, but a large cup of iced Americano.
Entering a coffee shop, you can also feel the “charm” in the mouths of Shanghai people.
In the Shanghai dialect, “charm” is more of a compliment to beautiful things. For example, “The coffee in that shop is very charming!” “Very charming” means “very great.”
In the Shanghai dialect, “charm” is more of a compliment to beautiful things. For example, “The coffee in that shop is very charming!” “Very charming” means “very great.”
The coffee shop on the street corner, with the aroma wafting from the crack of the door to the road and permeating the air of the city, grows together with the surrounding grocery stores, small restaurants, and residential buildings. There is no overly gorgeous decoration, only busy baristas and passers-by who stop for it.
As much as Shanghai people love coffee, they love desserts. There are nearly ten thousand Chinese and Western dessert shops here. The sweetness spanning China and the West meets in Shanghai. Cream, bean paste, and frosting are all an inseparable part of Shanghai cuisine.
- Rivers, Lakes, and Seas of Shanghai
The Yangtze River has a majestic posture. The Huangpu River has a motherly delicacy. Countless years have flowed in the Suzhou River. Dianshan Lake is full of good stories. And the vast East China Sea is magnificent.
Wetland of Qingcaosha Reservoir on Changxing Island.
This city of Shanghai has written countless legends of rivers, lakes, and seas, telling the magnificence of the rivers and seas and the tenderness of the water towns.
Chongming Island and the Yangtze River.
The Suzhou River and the Huangpu River run through the city horizontally and vertically, opening up the vast world and giving birth to this world-famous super city.
Overlooking the Huangpu River.
The Wusong River, which originates from the Taihu Lake Basin, is called the “Suzhou River” when it reaches Beixinjing in downtown Shanghai. This young land at the forefront of the Yangtze River Delta is connected by blood with the ancient water towns behind.
Watching the sunrise on the Suzhou River.
Once, the industrial areas along the Suzhou River expanded rapidly. The roaring machines, towering chimneys, and surging population made the river overwhelmed. For a long time, the “inky black” color and soaring stench of the Suzhou River became a headache for Shanghai people. Later, through years of governance by Shanghai, the water of the Suzhou River gradually became clear from being “as black as soy sauce.”
- The Undertone of Shanghai
Eighty-six years ago, the Sihang Warehouse by the Suzhou River left behind the legend of the “Eight Hundred Heroes.” The soldiers fought bloody battles, shattering the arrogant words of the Japanese invaders that “China will be conquered in three months” and showing the world the unyielding spirit of the Chinese people.
In 1937, during the Battle of Shanghai, the “Eight Hundred Heroes” launched the “Sihang Warehouse Defense Battle” with the Japanese army.
One hundred and two years ago, the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held here, opening a new chapter in Chinese history.
Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
In the years of turmoil, the Communist Party of China, which changed history, was born in Shanghai. In socialist construction, Shanghai has created the miracle of being a pioneer in innovative development.
Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port.
- Magnolias in Shanghai
The magnolia is the city flower of Shanghai. The pure white and fragrant flowers not only have the meaning of integrity but also represent the enterprising spirit with the name of “looking forward to spring.”
Fashionable Shanghai people love magnolias and have integrated the image of magnolias into their lives. The architectural shapes of the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center and other buildings are inspired by magnolias. Even the award of the Shanghai Television Festival is called the Magnolia Award.
Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Magnolia Plaza.
- Residences in Shanghai
If the Bund is the facade of Shanghai, then the lanes are the inside story of Shanghai.
Residences in Shanghai.
Just like there are hutongs in Beijing, no matter how you explore Shanghai, you can’t bypass the crisscrossing texture of the lanes.
The carved Shikumen, the narrow dormer windows, and the hot attic rooms. It can be said that the most charming Shanghai charm is hidden in the lanes.
Zhang Garden.
- Roads in Shanghai
When you walk on the road leading to the lanes, you will always enter a road in Shanghai. Every small road in Shanghai has a unique temperament and condenses stories worth exploring.
Wukang Road is known as the “Celebrity Road” that “condenses a hundred years of modern Shanghai history.” Fashion and tradition intersect. Western architecture is a scene, and literary and artistic small shops are also a scene.
The busy morning in front of Wukang Building.
“One hundred years of Yuyuan Road, half of Shanghai’s history.” The quiet and elegant Yuyuan Road is lined with phoenix trees and deep lanes. Today, there are countless coffee shops, dessert shops, and boutiques here, attracting trendy men and women to check in.
Tianzifang on Taikang Road (formerly known as Zhichengfang) takes its name from the homophone of the painter “Tian Zifang” in “Zhuangzi,” meaning that this is a place where artists gather. Today, it has become a famous creative industry cluster in Shanghai.
Tianzifang.
This city of Shanghai has a kind of magic that allows people to show their most unique selves. Who says the road can’t become a catwalk to show oneself?
- Wutong Trees in Shanghai
These urban central blocks with lush phoenix trees on the roadside are affectionately called “Wutong District” by everyone.
Many people living in Shanghai yearn to live in “Wutong District” more than in any administrative district.
In autumn, in the “Wutong District,” yellow leaves gradually fall, and the aroma of coffee spreads.
This year, Shanghai has launched dozens of “fallen leaves not swept” scenic roads, opening the limited beauty of Shanghai in autumn.
- “Pigtail Cars” in Shanghai
“Pigtail cars” are trolleybuses that run on electricity with two collector poles.
Shanghai No. 20 trolleybus.
The “pigtail cars” in the city, with their blue and white bodies, become a unique scenery shuttling through the streets and alleys.
- The Flavors of Shanghai
Shanghai local cuisine is a fusion cuisine. Under the combination of various elements, it has distinct characteristics: thick oil and dark sauce, and a love for sweetness. What Shanghai people love are the yellow roe in hairy crabs, the soup in xiaolongbao, and the sugar in braised pork.
“I eat you!” In Shanghai dialect, “eat” means like. The focus in the eyes of Shanghai foodies is on the stall of pan-fried buns at the entrance of the vegetable market, in the scallion-flavored pancakes with overflowing fat fragrance, in the sweet and delicious rice cakes, and in the local restaurants that serve braised pork with scallions, oil-blasted shrimps, braised pork, and stir-fried pig intestines with alfalfa.
Stir-fried pig intestines with alfalfa is a delicacy made of pig intestines and alfalfa.
Oil-blasted shrimps are half fried and half stir-fried. The high temperature quickly separates the shrimp shells from the shrimp meat, and the oil makes the shrimp meat more crisp and tender.
The gentle and charming Shanghai people are not ambiguous at all when eating braised pork. The meat must be streaky pork with layers of fat and lean. When cooking, a lot of sugar must be added. For braised pork knuckles, braised pork chops, etc., in addition to mastering the basic knife skills and heat control, to be delicious, there is no secret. That is, heavy oil and a lot of sugar.
At lunchtime, a complex and vast aroma wafts from the lanes. The sauce fragrance of braised pork is mixed with the oil fragrance of fried hairtail. The fresh fragrance of braised bamboo shoots is accompanied by the sweet fragrance of braised marinated duck.
Braised bamboo shoots.
Heavy oil and sugar are also found in stir-fried eels with oil splash. After stir-frying the eels, add soy sauce, sugar, and yellow rice wine and braise until cooked. Heat the oil and pour it on the eels with a “splash.” Hence, it is called “stir-fried eels with oil splash.”
On Shanghai people’s dining tables, the most versatile is the Eight Treasure Chili Sauce. Dried tofu, wild rice shoots, diced meat, shrimp, chicken gizzards, mushrooms… The diced ingredients are tightly wrapped in sauce. It is a powerful tool for having with porridge, rice, or noodles.
Eight Treasure Chili Sauce.
In fact, not all dishes are heavy in oil and sweet. Shanghai people can give you a lot of examples that are not oily or sweet: salted pork and fresh bamboo shoot soup, plain boiled chicken, pickled pork tripe, drunken shrimp, stir-fried green soybeans with pickles…
Salted pork and fresh bamboo shoot soup.
In Jiangnan, there are abundant products. Shanghai people’s love for freshness is also engraved in their bones. The Three Delicacies Casserole is a common delicacy on winter dining tables in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The ingredients can be luxurious or simple. The steamed Three Delicacies ingredients are not limited to three. Pork tripe, egg dumplings, meatballs, winter bamboo shoots, cured meat, quail eggs, baby cabbages, etc. The standard is freshness.
Three shredded ingredients.
In the north, those with fillings are called buns, and those without fillings are called steamed buns. Shanghai people collectively call them steamed buns, including meat steamed buns, vegetable steamed buns, xiaolongbao, pan-fried buns… The authentic “steamed bun” taste comes from the Chenghuang Temple.
Chenghuang Temple is the most famous gathering place for snacks in Shanghai. The original “Shanghai flavor” was formed here.
Yunnan Road is of great importance in the hearts of locals. Don’t miss the pan-fried buns from Dachun, glutinous rice balls from Shendacheng, plain boiled chicken from Shaoxing, and salted duck from Nanjing. They are extremely delicious.
Shanghai pan-fried buns.
In addition to main course dishes, “Western pastries” and “Chinese traditions” are also exceptionally harmonious in Shanghai. The foreign flavors that have traveled across the ocean are tinged with the Shanghai style and have become unique “Shanghai specialties.”
Customers line up in front of the Western pastry shop. At a glance, there are many aunts and uncles with neatly combed gray hair. In the list of New Year’s goods, the butterfly pastries from the International Hotel must not be missing.
Qingtuan is a snack for Shanghai people during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival. The glutinous rice flour is mixed with wormwood to make a green outer skin, and inside is wrapped with delicate and sweet red bean paste. This is the most trendy “glutinous” texture.
Once autumn begins, fresh meat mooncakes are added to Shanghai people’s list of delicacies. The freshly baked fresh meat mooncakes are golden and attractive. Take a bite. The crust melts in the mouth. The meat fragrance gushes out inside, and occasionally a little meat juice flows out.
Others such as Dingsheng Cake, Tiaotou Cake, Osmanthus Cake, and Tangerine Cake are all soft, glutinous, and crispy on the outside and sweet, oily, and moist on the inside. Each one is the sweetest thought in the hearts of Shanghai people.
Dingsheng Cake.
- Words with “Tou” in Shanghai Dialect
Traditionally, Shanghai belongs to the Wu cultural area. There are many interesting words in the Wu dialect. At first hearing, they are confusing. But once explained, people exclaim, “Wonderful!”
Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park.
For example, there is a very common suffix in the Shanghai dialect, that is, “Tou”: showing off, having bad luck, being sly…
In the Shanghai dialect, being deliberately mysterious is called “putting on a show,” having a prosperous business is called “having a boom,” being unconventional is called “coming up with something new,” having bad luck is called “having bad luck,” giving orders is called “giving directions,” often changing clothes is called “changing outfits,” having a sudden inspiration is called “having an idea.” “Knowing people well” means being experienced in understanding people. “Good person” means being honest and law-abiding. And so on.
Shanghai dialect: In the neighbor’s house, there are many many little kids. The eldest, the second, the third, all the way to the eighth. Their names are very interesting. The eldest is called “Little leader.” The second is called “Muddy head.” The third is called “Onion head.” The fourth is called “Long string beans.” The fifth is called “Spiced beans.” The sixth is called “Pickled vegetable head.” The seventh is called “Taro head.” The most fun is the eighth. The sun shines on the bed. He is still in a dream. Dreaming that the teacher says he is not smart.
- The Drive of Shanghai
As a city, Shanghai has a short history. But Shanghai has been creating history. The first bonded area, the first comprehensive reform pilot area, the first free trade zone… In the process of reform and opening up, the two words “Shanghai” represent countless miracles.
△China Art Palace (Shanghai Art Museum), renovated from the China Pavilion of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Today, Shanghai leads all cities in the country with a GDP of more than 4.4 trillion yuan. The most cutting-edge elements such as commodities, capital, talents, and science and technology are surging forward with the tide of the Huangpu River.
Shanghai International Shipping Center, Yangshan Deepwater Port.
This is the place where Chinese scientists and engineers pursue their dreams. Many national firsts and global firsts. Many great scientific and technological dreams of the country set sail from here.
In 2022, there are more than 22,000 high-tech enterprises in Shanghai. Original, leading, and strategic major scientific and technological achievements continue to emerge. The basic framework of an international scientific and technological innovation center has been formed.
Shanghai Zhangjiang Science City.
Shanghai people have long written the spirit of being at the forefront into their bones. Shanghai proposes that by 2025, the core functions of the international economic, financial.
National Exhibition and Convention Center, the venue for the China International Import Expo.
Shanghai is the daily life of countless people for learning, working and living, and has become a city of the future that people yearn for.
△Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University.
Today, Shanghai Station, Shanghai West Station, Shanghai South Station and Hongqiao Station are like radiation centers, radiating from Shanghai to all parts of the country. Hongqiao and Pudong airports are located at the gateway of Shanghai. Shanghai Port, with the largest container throughput in the world, enables global commodities to enter Chinese people’s lives from here, and many “Made in China” products also go to all parts of the world from here.
The simple and unsophisticated Chenghuang Temple, the bustling Bund and the prosperous Lujiazui form the symbols of three eras in Shanghai. Backed by the Yangtze River and facing the Pacific Ocean, Shanghai takes the lead in China’s opening up. This is the charm of Shanghai.
△Night view of Zhujiajiao Ancient Town.
△Yu Garden.
This international metropolis, bordering the sea and the river, bustling and prosperous in industry and commerce, belongs to this rapidly rising country and also to every diligent citizen. Striving to be the first and competing for elegance, connecting rivers and seas and looking forward to the future. This is Shanghai.
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