- China Trip Planner
Shanghai
- What's your impression of Shanghai?
- Where exactly is Shanghai located?
- How many districts and counties are under Shanghai's jurisdiction?
- Why is Guangzhou also known as the "city of flowers?"
- What is the climate like in Shanghai??
- What is the city flower?
- What makes Shanghai a historical and cultural city?
- What is the origin of "sand boats"?
- What dialect do people speak in Guangzhou?
- What nine historical attractions in Shanghai are under state protection?
- What are the "Tang Column, Song Pagoda, Yuan Temple, Ming Garden and Qing Wall?"
- What are the top 10 sights in Shanghai?
- Which building is the tallest in Shanghai?
- What are the major parks in Shanghai?
- How many volumes does Shanghai Library house?
- How much green area is there in Shanghai?
- How many stockholders are there in Shanghai?
- What exactly is a concession?
- How many concessions once existed in Shanghai?
- Why do Shanghai residents call streets "horse roads?"
- What is Pidgin English?
- What makes Nanjing Road so famous?
- What do you think of Shanghai cuisine?
- What kinds of instant noodles does Shanghai produce?
- What do you think of Shanghai's hotels?
What's your impression of Shanghai?
It is significant that both Chinese and foreigners find Shanghai special. Chinese people, though proud of the metropolis, find it a little "too Western." For Westerners, however, visiting Shanghai is like a homecoming. Western influences can be seen in the architecture, urban layout, department store mannequins, and fashions.
Shanghai is also China's biggest city, largest port, biggest tax- paying region, and one of the world's vital financial centers. It is also known for being densely populated and as a shoppers' paradise. At night, the city, especially the Bund, is ablaze with lights, earning it the nickname a "nightless city."
Where exactly is Shanghai located?
Shanghai is at the mouth of the Yangtze River on the Yangtze delta. To the east is the East Sea, to the south the Hangzhou Bay, and to the west Jiangsu and Zhejiang. This placement lends a strong foundation for Shanghai's economic and cultural development.
How many districts and counties are under Shanghai's jurisdiction?
Shanghai is one of the three municipalities directly under the central government. Aside from Pudong New District, Shanghai has jurisdiction over 13 districts and six suburban counties. The 13 districts are: Huangpu, Nanshi, Luwan, Xuhui, Changning, Jing'an, Putuo, Zhabei, Hongkou, Yangpu, Baoshan, Minxing and Jiading. The six counties are: Nanhui, Fengxian, Songjiang, Jinshan, Qingpu and Chongming. The total area of Shanghai is 6,350 square kilometers. The urban area takes up 2,100 square kilometers.
What are Shanghai's demographics?
Shanghai's population at the end of 1994 -- all figures here are from 1994 surveys -- was 13.56 million, the same population as Australia. The gender ratio was 51.02% male and 48.98% female. The city's birth rate was 5.8 per thousand, mortality 7 per thousand. Population density was 2,104 per square kilometer, but in the urban area that number reached 10,912. In the two most crowded districts, Jing'an and Luwan, density stands as high as 64,000 and 63,000 per square kilometer respectively.
What is the climate like in Shanghai?
Shanghai sits in a sub-tropical monsoon climate, with moderate temperatures and humidity and adequate sunshine. Rainfall is abundant and the seasons are distinct. The rainy season falls between mid-June and early-July, with a precipitation of 250 mm. Between July and September, storms are common due to the effects of typhoons.
Statistics indicate that the average temperature of Shanghai is 15.4 degrees Celsius, with the high averaging 27.4 degrees in July- August and the low 3-5 degrees below zero in January. The recorded highest temperature was 40.2 degrees in 1934 and the lowest 12.1 degrees below zero in 1894. The longest frost-free period in Shanghai was 240 days.
What is the city flower?
In October 1986, Shanghai designated the white magnolia as its city flower. Since white magnolia is also an arbor tree, it simultaneously acts as the city tree. Also known as "spring-greeting flower," white magnolia buds in winter and blooms in spring ahead of other trees. Symbolizing vigor and progress, the tree can grow as tall as eight meters.
What makes Shanghai a historical and cultural city?
Archaeological excavations reveal that human beings lived and worked here 5,000-6,000 years ago. Today nine ancient sites in the city are under state protection. Shanghai is also known for its revolutionary connections. Modern revolutionaries, including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Sun Yat-sen, Madam Soong Chingling and LuXun, took refuge in the city.
In addition, Shanghai was one of the first ports opened to foreign trade. Its rapid rise from a fishing village to an international metropolis offers much food for thought.
Shanghai also prides itself on its rich collections of books and curios. The first library emerged in 1847, which became what is to- day the Shanghai Library, the second largest library in the nation next to the National Library of China in Beijing, with a collection of 8 million volumes. Shanghai Museum houses 980,000 pieces of collections. In addition, there are 100,000 collectors and hundreds of collectors' associations throughout the city.
Finally, Shanghai has been home to many of China's greatest writers and artists.
What is the origin of "sand boats"?
There are three explanations for the origins of "sandboats," a wooden sailboat from ancient times. The first story, noting that the waterway from Shanghai northward is a treacherous passage with corals and hidden beaches, is that they were built with flat bottoms, multiple masts, square heads and helms so that they would not be stranded. The second explanation is that when the ships returned empty from the north after unloading goods, the seamen put sand aboard to ensure steadiness. The third version has it that the boats were originally built in Chongming, an island also known as the "sandy island." In 1684, the Qing Dynasty opened Shanghai for foreign trade, and the shipping industry boomed as a result. At that time, more than 3,000 boats were berthed at the port. Shipping played a major role in upgrading Shanghai from a fishing village into a great port and commercial center in southeastern China. In memory of the contributions "sandboats" made to the development of the city, the city government decided to include a "sand boat" in the emblem of the city.
How many sister cities does Shanghai have?
Shanghai maintains sister-city relations with 29 cities in 27 countries, including Osaka, Japan; Milan, Italy; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; San Francisco in the United States; Hamburg, Germany; Marseille, France and Goteborg, Sweden.
What nine historical attractions in Shanghai are under state protection?
Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, at No. 76, Xingye Road
Former residence of Sun Yat-sen, No. 7, Xiangshan Road
Site of the Central Organs, the Chinese Socialist Youth League, No. 6, Yuyangli, Huihaizhong Road
Tomb of Lu Xun, inside the Hongkou Park
Tomb of Madam Soong Chingling, International Cemetery, Lingyuan Road
Yu Garden, Old City, Nanshi District
The Dharani Sutra Column, inside the Zhongxin Primary School, Zhongshan Road, Songjiang Town
Tomb of Xu Guangqi, inside the Guangqi Park Nandan Road, Xuhui District
Longhua Monument to the Revolutionary Martyrs, No. 1, Lane 2501, Longhua Road, Xuhui District
What are the "Tang Column, Song Pagoda, Yuan Temple, Ming Garden and Qing Wall?"
The Tang Column refers to the Dharani Sutra Column located in Songjiang Town. Built in 859, the 9.3-meter-high column is the oldest structure in Shanghai.
The Song Pagoda refers to the Buddhism-Enhancement Pagoda inside Fangta Park, Songjiang. It was built during the Northern Song Dynasty (1068-1094).
The Yuan Temple refers to the Eternal Temple, located in Zhenru Town, Jiading District. Built in 1320, it is one of the few surviving Yuan Dynasty structures.
The Ming Garden refers to the Yu Garden built during the Ming Dynasty (1559-1577).
The Qing Wall refers to the old city wall of the Shanghai County, built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Today only a small section remains.
What are the top 10 sights in Shanghai?
In 1995, the Shanghai TV Station conducted a poll among its 300,000 viewers of the top 10 sights in Shanghai. The result: The Nanpu and Yangpu bridges in Pudong; the Inner Expressway; People's Square; the New Bund; the Oriental Pearl TV Tower; the new Metro; the Yu Garden; the new Jinjiang Hotel; the Hongqiao Development Zone and the Bund.
Which building is the tallest in Shanghai?
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower, completed in 1994 and standing 468 meters, is the tallest TV tower in Asia and the third tallest in the world.
What are the major parks in Shanghai?
The major parks in Shanghai include
Huangpu Park, the oldest in the city, site of the Shanghai Monument to the People's Heroes
People's Park, in the downtown area, frequented by some 12 million visitors yearly. It used to be a horse-racing track
-- Fuxing Park, which used to be a French barrack. It was converted into a park in 1909 and opened to Chinese in 1924. It is noted for its blending of Western and Chinese garden arts.
How many volumes does Shanghai Library house?
Shanghai Library, the second biggest library in China next to the National Library of China in Beijing, houses 10 million volumes of books and 20,000 rubbings. In addition, it contains some 1.6 million volumes of classical documents and manuscripts, including the oldest Chinese draft of the Vimalakirtinirdesa-sutra, a Buddhist scripture. Other treasures include wood block printed rare copies of classical novels and diaries and notebooks of scholars in modern times. Its newspapers archives and index of local Taiwan records are also the biggest in China.
How much green area is there in Shanghai?
About 20 percent of the urban area of Shanghai, or 1,400,000 square meters, is green area.
How many stockholders are there in Shanghai?
It is estimated that there are 2. 5 million stock holders in Shanghai. Most are under the age of 40 and work in either private companies or in government offices. In addition, the majority of them invest less than 50,000 RMB (US $ 7,000). As the market behavior tends to be more regular, their sense of risk is growing stronger.
What exactly is a concession?
A concession is a piece of territory granted by colonial or semi- colonial nations to Western expatriates as permanent residence. It developed into a "state within a state" because the Westerners enjoy extra-territorial rights and consular jurisdiction on the territory. These privileges included the fight to organize armed forces, police, courts, jails and enact laws.
Chinese troops and police were not allowed to enter the territory without the permission of the concession authorities.
How many concessions once existed in Shanghai?
The first concession appeared in November 1845, as a permanent residence for British expatriates. Under a bilateral agreement, the Chinese government owned the land and exercised administrative and judicial powers on the territory. The British, however, usurped the powers and turned the territory into an independent concession.
The Americans and French followed suit in 1848 and 1849 respectively. In 1863, the British and American concessions merged into what was known as "public concessions." By the early 20th century, the concessions had extended into most of the downtown area.
Why do Shanghai residents call streets "horse roads?"
In the beginning, foreigners used to ride on horses along an east-west road around the Bund. At that time, the road was not named. Local residents, therefore, called it "horse road." Prior to 1890, "horse roads" referred to east-west streets in particular, but later, they came to mean streets in general. The name was also widely adopted in other-Chinese cities.
What is Pidgin English?
One answer to the question is that Pidgin was originally a small river north of Shanghai County. The river was levelled in 1914 and became what is today East Yan'an. In 1845, when the British concession was established here, the river became the demarcation for the territory. For a long time Pidgin became synonymous with con- cessions. To trade with foreigners, Chinese businessmen taught themselves English, but their pronunciation was poor and grammarirregular. This kind of strained jargon became known as Pidgin English.
What makes Nanjing Road so famous?
A trip to Shanghai without visiting Nanjing Road is like going to New York without visiting Fifth Avenue. Along a short distance of five kilometer are concentrated 400 shops of every sort that are visited by 1.5 million shoppers daily. Many of the stores are the largest in China. The No. 1 Department Store, for example, sellsover 40,000 categories of goods, attracting 300,000 daily. Also located here are Shanghai's largest food shop, fashion boutiques, drug store, silk store, lamp store, bookstore and florists. Some of the city's finest hotels, such as Peace, Huaqiao and International, are also located on the street.
The street also boasts a variety of cultural spots, such as libraries, art galleries, martial art clubs, sports clubs, acrobatics arenas and cinemas.
A walk on Nanjing Avenue offers a glimpse of life in the most metropolitan city of China, but it also puts tourists shoulder to shoulder with ordinary people.
What do you think of Shanghai cuisine?
Shanghai cuisine very famous for its fresh-water delicacies and vegetarian dishes. With a moderate taste, the meat dishes are fragrant, fresh, tender and original. The vegetarian dishes are cooked with vegetarian oil, using day lily, fragrant mush-rooms, and bean curd as main ingredients. Some of the vegetarian dishes are named after their meat counterparts, such as vegetarian "chicken," "duck" or "fish." The vegetarian food of the Jade Buddha Temple is especially famous.
Shanghai has also a lot of Western-style restaurants with European surroundings. In addition, there are about 3,000 snack shops offering tasty and inexpensive food such as noodles with pork chops and wonton. Visiting these food stands is not just an eating experience but also an opportunity to get in touch with the locals.
What kinds of instant noodles does Shanghai produce?
Shanghai produces a variety of instant noodles with different flavorings, such as ham, sausage, and duck liver.
What do you think of Shanghai's hotels?
Shanghai has the finest hotels in China in terms of both facilities and services. It is no secret in the tourist industry that among the capitals around the world, none has better service than Shanghai. Unfortunately, capitals often suffer a sort of bureaucratic malaise, which often reduces the quality of service. Not so in vibrant Shanghai.
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