Shanghai, also named 'Hu' or 'Shen' in Chinese, is one of the four municipalities directly under the Chinese central government.

Shanghai , literally known as ‘the port on the sea', is one of the world's largest seaports and China 's major industrial as well as commercial center. With the deepening reform, the city, formerly crowned as the financial, economic and trade hub of the Far East, is playing a leading role in boosting economic development of China . Meanwhile, the city has attracted more and more tourists from home and abroad for its unique charm.

Known to the world as the Oriental Pearl, Shanghai is China 's major gate to the outside world in the east. As early as in the Tang and Song Dynasties, Shanghai served as a foreign trade port and mercantile ties. And during the the Qing Dynasty, the city turn into a navigation hub and metropolis in southeast China , which attracted countless ships to the Huangpu River . Today, this famous International port has developed into China 's important center of economy, finance, trade, science and technology, info rmation as well as culture.

As one of the noted historic and cultural citied in the country, Shanghai has more than 70 sites of historical interest and cultural relics, which best represent the distinctive characteristic of Shanghai regional culture. What's more, Shanghai is the Paradise of gourmets, who may find thousands of restaurants here that serve a complete list of China 's major famous cuisines and various foreign foods.

Shanghai also received the name of ‘Exhibition of the World's Architecture', the city has a collection of buildings with different architectural styles along the Bund and elsewhere of the city. The Financial and Trade Building, the International Convention Center and the Oriental Pearl Television Tower in Pudong Area, flanked by the magnificent Nanpu and Yangpu Bridges, which are connected by the city's elevated inner beltway, and the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theater on People's Square. All these bring the city a brand-new look.

Location: located at 31 degrees 14' N and 121 degrees 29' E, the middle point of the coastline of China's mainland. It is also the gateway for the Yangtze River valley. Shanghai borders on the vast East China Sea in the east and links up the fertile Taihu Lake in the west.

Area: Shanghai has an area of 2,000 square kilometers

When to go to Shanghai : The best times to visit Shanghai are in spring or autumn. The city has a subtropical maritime monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons. Generally, the warm spring and cool autumn are the more comfortable seasons. While summer and winter are far less pleasant. Overall, Shanghai enjoys a mild and moist climate...

Time: Time used in Beijing and all over China is called Beijing Standard Time. It is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 8), and 13 hours ahead of New York time.

Transportation: As a modem metropolis, Shanghai has enjoyed very convenient transport facilities. It has two international airport named Pudong and Hongqiao which link Shanghai with most of the domestic and overseas big cities. And there are three railway stations, which see trains running to and from the large and medium-sized cities everyday. How about water? Shanghai port is the only passenger port in China integrated with sea transport, river transport and inland water transport. It now mainly consists of Shiliupu Passenger Port, Gongping Lu Passenger Port and International Passenger Port. As to the urban Transportation, Shanghai has an excellent transportation system. Different buses run between the traffic hubs, scenic spots, streets and lanes, together with taxis, magnetic suspension train, special tourist lines and subways.

Industry: During the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), the western district of Shanghai was the manor estate of Huang Xie, who was a noble of the State of Chu and conferred the title of Chun Shenjun. Later 'Shen' or 'Chunshen' becoame another name of Shanghai. According to the historical records, 'Hudulei', a facility used to prevent the damage of the seawater was built by Yu Tan during the Period of Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 A.D.), thus another name of Shanghai 'Hu' was originated from here. The city became a small town in the Song Dynasty and a county in Yuan Dynasty, then a walled city in Ming Dynasty. Shanghai accelerated its development at an usual speed after it has been open to the outside world. The city is changing and taking on a new look with each passing day. Now, Shanghai has become the symbol of modern Chinese cities.