The twoChinese characters in the city's name are上 (shàng/zaon, "upon") and海 (hǎi/hé, "sea"), together meaning "On the Sea". The earliest occurrence of this name is the 11th-centurySong dynasty, when there was a river confluence and a town with this name in the area. Others contend that the city is referenced in historical records dating back 2150 years, and that its ancient name, "Hu", suggests it was a fishing village. In 1280 it was renamed "Shanghai", which translates to "Above the Sea".[16] The name's interpretation was disputed, but Chinese historians concluded that during theTang dynasty, the area of modern-day Shanghai was under sea level, so the land appeared to be "on the sea".[17]
Shanghai is officially abbreviated沪[b] (Hù/wu) inChinese, a contraction of沪渎[c] (Hù Dú/wu-doq, "Harpoon Ditch"), a 4th- or5th-centuryJin name for the mouth ofSuzhou Creek when it was the main conduit into the ocean.[20] This character appears on motor vehicle license plates issued in the municipality.[21]
魔都 (Módū/mó-tu, "monster/fiend/magical city"),[e] is a contemporary nickname for Shanghai.[23] The name was first mentioned inMato (1924) by Japanese novelistShōfu Muramatsu.[24] The city has various English nicknames including the "New York of China", in reference to its status as a cosmopolitanmegalopolis andfinancial hub,[25] the "Pearl of the Orient", and the "Paris of the East".[26][27]
The western part of modern-day Shanghai was inhabited 6,000 years ago.[28] During theSpring and Autumn period (approximately 771 to 476 BC), it belonged to theKingdom of Wu, which was conquered by theKingdom of Yue, which in turn was conquered by the Kingdom of Chu.[29] During theWarring States period (475 BC), Shanghai was part of the fief ofLord Chunshen of Chu, one of theFour Lords of the Warring States. He ordered the excavation of theHuangpu River. Its former or poetic name, the Chunshen River, gave Shanghai its nickname of "Shēn".[29] Fishermen living in the Shanghai area then created a fish tool called thehù, which lent its name to the outlet of Suzhou Creek north of theOld City and became a common nickname andabbreviation for the city.[30]
During the Tang and Song dynasties, Qinglong Town (青龙镇[f]) in modernQingpu District was a major trading port. Established in 746, it developed into what was historically called a "giant town of the Southeast". The port experienced thriving trade with provinces along theYangtze and the Chinese coast, as well as foreign countries such as Japan andSilla.[1] By the end of theSong dynasty, the center of trading had moved downstream of theWusong River to Shanghai.[31] Its status was upgraded from a village to a market town in 1074; in 1172, a second sea wall was built to stabilize the ocean coastline, supplementing an earlier dike.[32] From theYuan dynasty in 1292 until Shanghai officially became amunicipality in 1927, central Shanghai was administered as a county underSongjiang Prefecture, which had its seat in the present-daySongjiang District.[33]
Shanghai's firstcity wall was built in 1554 to protect the town from raids byJapanese pirates. It was 10 m (33 ft) high and 5 km (3 mi) in circumference. ACity God Temple was built in 1602 during theWanli reign. This honor was usually reserved for prefectural capitals and not normally given to a county seat like Shanghai. Scholars theorized that this reflected the town's economic importance.[34]
During theQing dynasty, two central government policy changes caused Shanghai to become one of the most important seaports in theYangtze Delta region. The first was in 1684, when theKangxi Emperor reversed the 1525 prohibition on oceangoing vessels. In 1732, theQianlong Emperor moved the customs office forJiangsu province (江海关;[g] seeCustoms House, Shanghai) fromSongjiang to Shanghai, and gave Shanghai exclusive control over customs collections for Jiangsu's foreign trade. Shanghai became the major trade port for the lower Yangtze region by 1735, despite being at the lowest administrative level in the political hierarchy.[35]
A map of Shanghai in 1884; Chinese area are in yellow, French in red/pink, British in blue, American in orange.
In the 19th century, international attention and recognition of its economic and trade potential at theYangtze grew.[36] British forces occupied the city during theFirst Opium War.[37] The war ended in 1842 with theTreaty of Nanking, which opened Shanghai as one of the fivetreaty ports for international trade.[38] TheTreaty of the Bogue, theTreaty of Wanghia, and theTreaty of Whampoa, signed between 1843 and 1844, forced Chinese concession to European and American desires for visitation and trade in China. Britain, France, and theUnited States established a presence outside the walled city of Shanghai, which remained under the direct administration of the Chinese.[39]
The golden age of Shanghai began with its elevation to municipality after it was separated fromJiangsu on 7 July 1927.[39][47] This new Chinese municipality was 494.69 km2 (191.0 sq mi), and included the districts ofBaoshan,Yangpu,Zhabei,Nanshi, andPudong.[47] Headed by a Chinese mayor and municipal council, the city's government implemented theGreater Shanghai Plan to create a new city center in Jiangwan town of Yangpu district, outside the boundaries of the foreign concessions.[48] The city became a commercial and financial hub of theAsia-Pacific region in the 1930s.[49] During the ensuing decades, citizens of many countries immigrated to Shanghai; those who stayed for long periods called themselves "Shanghailanders".[50] In the 1920s and 1930s, almost 20,000White Russians fled the newly establishedSoviet Union to reside in Shanghai.[51] TheseShanghai Russians constituted the second-largest foreign community. By 1932, Shanghai had become the world's fifth-largest city and home to 70,000 foreigners.[52] In the 1930s, approximately 30,000 Jewish refugees from Europe arrived in the city.[53]
On28 January 1932, Japanese military forces invaded Shanghai. More than 10,000 shops and hundreds of factories and public buildings[54] were destroyed, leaving Zhabei district ruined. About 18,000 civilians were either killed, injured, or declared missing.[39] A ceasefire was brokered on 5 May.[55] In 1937, theBattle of Shanghai resulted in the occupation of the Chinese-administered parts of Shanghai outside of the International Settlement and the French Concession. People who stayed in the occupied city experienced hunger, oppression, or death.[56] The foreign concessions were occupied by the Japanese on 8 December 1941 and remained occupied until Japan's surrender in 1945.[57]
Many Jewish people arrived in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation period. A vice-consul for Japan in Lithuania,Chiune Sugihara, issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees escaping theHolocaust, and the Japanese government transferred many of them to Shanghai by November 1941. Other Jewish refugees traveled from Italy. The refugees from Europe were interned in theShanghai Ghetto in Hongkou District after the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor. After thesurrender of Japan, the Chinese Army liberated the Ghetto, and most of the Jews left over the next few years.[58]
On 27 May 1949, thePeople's Liberation Army took control of Shanghai through theShanghai Campaign. Under the new People's Republic of China (PRC), Shanghai was one of only three municipalities not merged into neighboring provinces (the others beingBeijing andTianjin).[59] Most foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai toHong Kong, as part of a foreigndivestment due to the PRC's victory.[60]
After the war, Shanghai's economy was restored. From 1949 to 1952, the city's agricultural and industrial output increased by 51.5% and 94.2%, respectively.[39] As the industrial center of China with the most skilled industrial workers, Shanghai became a center for radicalleftism during the 1950s and 1960s.[61] During theCultural Revolution (1966–1976), Shanghai's society was severely damaged. The majority of the workers in the Shanghai branch of thePeople's Bank of China wereRed Guards, and they formed a group called the Anti-Economy Liaison Headquarters within the branch.[62]: 38 The Anti-Economy Liaison Headquarters dismantled economic organizations in Shanghai, investigated bank withdrawals, and disrupted regular bank service in the city.[62]: 38 Despite the disruptions of the Cultural Revolution, Shanghai maintained economic production with a positive annual growth rate.[39]
In 1990,Deng Xiaoping permitted Shanghai to initiate economic reforms, which reintroduced foreign capital to the city and developed the Pudong district, resulting in the birth ofLujiazui.[63] That year, the China's central government designated Shanghai as the "Dragon Head" ofeconomic reform.[64] In 2022 Shanghai experienced a large outbreak ofCOVID-19 cases and theChinese government locked down the entire city on 5 April. This resulted in widespread food shortages across the city as food-supply chains were severely disrupted. These restrictions were lifted on 1 June.[65]
Shanghai is located on the YangtzeEstuary of China's east coast, with the Yangtze River to the north andHangzhou Bay to the south, with theEast China Sea to the east. The land is formed by the Yangtze's naturaldeposition and modernland reclamation projects. It hassandy soil, and skyscrapers have to be built with deep concrete piles to avoid sinking into the soft ground.[66] The provincial-levelMunicipality of Shanghai administers the estuary and many of itssurrounding islands. It borders the provinces ofZhejiang to the south andJiangsu to the west and north.[67] The municipality's northernmost point is onChongming Island, the second-largestisland in mainland China after its expansion during the 20th century.[68]
Shanghai is located on analluvial plain and the vast majority of its 6,340.5 km2 (2,448.1 sq mi) land area is flat, with an average elevation of 4 m (13 ft).[7] Tidal flat ecosystems exist around the estuary, but they have been reclaimed for agricultural purposes.[69] The city's few hills, such asShe Shan, lie to the southwest; its highest point is the peak ofDajinshan Island (103 m or 338 ft) in Hangzhou Bay.[7] Shanghai has rivers, canals, streams, and lakes, and it is known for its rich water resources as part of theLake Taidrainage basin.[70]
Downtown Shanghai is bisected by the Huangpu River, a man-madetributary of the Yangtze created by order of Lord Chunshen during the Warring States period.[29] The historic center of the city was located on the west bank of the Huangpu (Puxi), near the mouth of Suzhou Creek, connecting it with Lake Tai and theGrand Canal. The central financial district, Lujiazui, was established on the east bank of the Huangpu (Pudong). Along Shanghai's eastern shore, the destruction of localwetlands due to the construction ofPudong International Airport has been partially offset by the protection and expansion of a nearby shoal,Jiuduansha, as a nature preserve.[71]
Shanghai has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa), with an average annual temperature of 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) for downtown areas and 16.2–17.2 °C (61.2–63.0 °F) for suburbs.[66] The city experiences four distinct seasons. Winters are temperate to cold and damp—northwesterly winds fromSiberia can cause nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing. Each year, there are an average of 4.7 days with snowfall and 1.6 days with snow cover.[66] Summers are hot and humid, and occasional downpours orthunderstorms can be expected. On average, 14.5 days exceed 35 °C (95 °F) annually. In summer and the beginning of autumn, the city is susceptible totyphoons.[72]
The most pleasant seasons are generally spring, although changeable and often rainy, and autumn, which is usually sunny and dry. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 28% in June to 46% in August, the city receives 1,754 hours of bright sunshine annually.[h] According to China's seasonal division standard, from 2001 to 2025, Shanghai enters spring on 9 March, summer on 15 May, autumn on 5 October, and winter on 4 December. The average temperature for the three weeks from 19 July to 8 August is above 30 °C (86.0 °F). Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −10.1 °C (13.8 °F) on 31 January 1977 (unofficial record of −12.1 °C (10.2 °F) was set on 19 January 1893) to 40.9 °C (105.6 °F) on 21 July 2017[73] and 13 July 2022[74] at aweather station inXujiahui. It also has 32.1 °C (89.8 °F) as the highest ever daily minimum temperature at Xujiahui on 2 August 2024.[75]
Climate data for Shanghai (Xujiahui), elevation 5 m (16 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, is home to a row of early 20th-century architecture, ranging in style from theneoclassicalHSBC Building to theArt Deco Sassoon House (now part of thePeace Hotel).[81] The area has been revitalized several times: the first was in 1986, with a newpromenade by the Dutch architect Paulus Snoeren.[82] The second was before the2010 Expo, which includes restoration of the century-oldWaibaidu Bridge and reconfiguration of traffic flow.[83]
Shanghai's construction boom during the 1920s and 1930s caused the city to have several Art Deco buildings.[81]László Hudec, aHungarian-Slovak who lived in the city between 1918 and 1947,[84] designed Art Deco buildings such as thePark Hotel, theGrand Cinema, and theParamount.[85] Other prominent Art Deco-style architects areClement Palmer and Arthur Turner, who designed the Peace Hotel, theMetropole Hotel, and theBroadway Mansions;[86] and Austrian architectC.H. Gonda, who designed theCapitol Theatre.[82] One common architectural element is theshikumen (石库门, "stone storage door") residence, typically two- or three-story gray brick houses with the front yard protected by a heavy wooden door in a stylistic stone arch.[87] Each residence is connected and arranged in straight alleys, known aslongtang[i] (弄堂).[87] Shanghai also hasSoviet neoclassical architecture orStalinist architecture: most were erected between the founding of thePeople's Republic in 1949 and theSino-Soviet Split in the late 1960s when Soviet personnel came to China to aid in the development of a communist state. An example of Soviet neoclassical architecture in Shanghai is theShanghai Exhibition Center.[89]
Political power in Shanghai has been a stepping stone to higher positions in the central government. SinceJiang Zemin became theGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in June 1989, several former Shanghai party secretaries and deputy party secretaries were elevated to thePolitburo Standing Committee, thede facto highest decision-making body in China.[98] Officials with ties to the Shanghai administration collectively form a powerful faction in the central government known as theShanghai Clique, which has often been viewed as competing against the rivalYouth League Faction over personnel appointments and policy decisions.[102]
When theShanghai Municipal People's Government was founded in 1949, the land area governed was 663.5 square kilometres (256.2 sq mi), largely located within the present-dayOuter Ring Expressway.[105] In 1958, tencounties were reassigned under Shanghai fromJiangsu.[106][107] District reorganizations saw several counties in the suburbs become districts between 1988 and 2015, and Chongming was the last county to be retitled as a district in 2015.[108]
Shanghai also administers severalenclaves in Jiangsu andAnhui provinces.[109] Local residents hold Shanghaihousehold registration and enjoy benefits identical to Shanghai residents.[110]
As of 2024[update], Shanghai had a GDP ofCN¥5.39 trillion ($757 billion in nominal; $1.52 trillion inPPP) that makes up 4% of China's GDP, and aGDP per capita of CN¥216,791 (US$30,448 in nominal;US$61,068 in PPP).[121][122] In 2022, the average annualdisposable income of Shanghai's residents was CN¥79,610 (US$11,836) per capita, while the average annual salary of people employed in urban units in Shanghai was CN¥212,476 (US$31,589),[123] making it one of the wealthiest cities in China,[124] but also the most expensive city inmainland China to live in according to a 2023 study by theEconomist Intelligence Unit.[125] According to Julius Baer's Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report, Shanghai was the most expensive city in the world for living a luxurious lifestyle in 2021.[126]
In 2023, the city's imports and exports reached CN¥7.73 trillion (US$1.07 trillion), accounting for 18.5% of the national total.[127] In 2022, Shanghai was rankedfifth-highest in the number of billionaires by Forbes.[128] Shanghai'snominal GDP was projected to reach US$1.3 trillion in 2035 (ranking first in China), making it one of the world's top 5 major cities in terms ofGRP according to a study by Oxford Economics.[129] As of August 2024, Shanghai ranked 4th in the world and 2nd inGreater China (after Beijing) by the largest number of theFortune Global 500 companies.[15]
In the last two decades, Shanghai has been one of the fastest-developing cities in the world; it has recorded double-digit GDP growth in almost every year between 1992 and 2008, before the2008 financial crisis.[137]
TheShanghai Stock Exchange is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world by market capitalization.
Shanghai is a globalfinancial center, ranking third in Asia and eighth globally on theGlobal Financial Centres Index.[138] Shanghai is also a large hub of the Chinese and global technology industry and home to a large startup ecosystem. As of 2021, the city was ranked as the 2ndFintech powerhouse in the world after New York City.[139]
As one of the main industrial centers of China, Shanghai plays a key role in domestic manufacturing andheavy industry. Several industrial zones—including Shanghai Hongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jinqiao Export Economic Processing Zone, Minhang Economic and Technological Development Zone, and Shanghai Caohejing High-Tech Development Zone—are backbones of Shanghai'ssecondary sector. Shanghai is home to China's largest steelmakerBaosteel Group, China's largestshipbuilding baseHudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group, and one of China's oldest shipbuilders, theJiangnan Shipyard.[143][144] In auto manufacturing, the Shanghai-basedSAIC Motor is one of the three largest automotive corporations in China, and has strategic partnerships withVolkswagen andGeneral Motors.[145] The company ranked 84 on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2023.[146]
In 2017, the number of domestic tourists to the city increased by 7.5% to 318 million, while the number of overseas tourists increased by 2.2% to 8.73 million.[142] In 2017, Shanghai was the highest earningtourist city in the world.[147] According to theInternational Congress and Convention Association, Shanghai hosted 82 international meetings in 2018, a 34% increase from 61 in 2017.[148][149] As of 2023[update], it had 57five-star hotels, 52four star hotels, 1,942travel agencies, 144rated tourist attractions, and 34red tourist attractions.[131] In 2023, Shanghai had 3.64 million tourists, a 4.8-fold growth compared to 2022. It generated CN¥177.12 billion (US$24.53 billion) in value, a 98.5% increase from the previous year. The number of foreign tourists reached 2.41 million, with a 5.2-fold increase.[131]
In September 2013, the city launched theShanghai Free-Trade Zone—the firstfree-trade zone in mainland China. It introduced several reforms to incentivize foreign investment.The Banker reported that Shanghai attracted the highest volumes of financial sectorforeign direct investment in the Asia-Pacific region in 2013.[150][151] As of October 2019[update], it is the second largest free-trade zone in mainland China in terms of land area (behindHainan Free Trade Zone [zh][152]) covering an area of 240.22 km2 (92.75 sq mi) and integrating four existing bonded zones—Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Logistics Park, Yangshan Free Trade Port Area, and Pudong Airport Comprehensive Free Trade Zone.[153][154] Commodities entering the zone are exempt from duty and customs clearance.[155]
As of 2023[update], Shanghai had a population of 24,874,500, including 14,801,700 (59.5%)hukou holders (registered locally).[131] As of 2022[update], 89.3% of Shanghai's population lives in urban areas, and 10.7% live in rural areas.[123] Based on the population of its total administrative area, Shanghai is the second largest of the four municipalities of China, behindChongqing, but is generally considered the largest Chinese city because the urban population of Chongqing is much smaller.[157] According to theOECD, Shanghai'smetropolitan area has an estimated population of 34 million.[158]
According to the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, about 157,900 residents in Shanghai are foreigners, including 28,900 Japanese, 21,900 Americans, and 20,800 Koreans.[159] The actual number of foreign citizens in the city is probably much higher.[160] Shanghai is also a domestic immigration city—40.3% (9.8 million) of the city's residents are from other regions of China.[131]
Shanghai has alife expectancy of 83.18 years for the city's registered population,[161] the highest life expectancy ofall cities in mainland China. This has also caused the city toexperience population aging—in 2021, 17.4% (4.3 million) of the city's registered population was aged 65 or above.[131] In 2017, the Chinese government implemented population controls for Shanghai, resulting in a population decline of 10,000 people by the end of the year.[162]
Due to its cosmopolitan history, Shanghai has a blend of religious heritage; religious buildings and institutions are scattered around the city. According to a 2012 survey, 13.1% of the city's population belongs to organized religions, includingBuddhists with 10.4%,Protestants with 1.9%,Catholics with 0.7%, and other faiths with 0.1%. The remaining 86.9% of the population could be eitheratheists or involved inworship of nature deities and ancestors orfolk religious sects.[163]
Prominent Jewish families immigrated to Shanghai when theTreaty of Nanking opened the city to Western populations.[171] DuringWorld War II, thousands of Jews emigrated to Shanghai to fleeNazi Germany. They lived in a designated area called the Shanghai Ghetto and formed a community centered on the Ohel Moishe Synagogue, (now theShanghai Jewish Refugees Museum).[172] In 1939,Horace Kadoorie, the head of the powerful philanthropic Sephardic Jewish family in Shanghai, founded the Shanghai Jewish Youth Association to support Jewish refugees through English education so they would be prepared to emigrate from Shanghai.[173]
Islam came into Shanghai during the Yuan dynasty. The city's first mosque,Songjiang Mosque, was built during the Zhizheng (至正) era underEmperor Huizong (reigned 1333 – 1368). Shanghai'sMuslim population increased in the 19th and early 20th centuries (when the city was a treaty port), during which time many mosques—including theXiaotaoyuan Mosque, theHuxi Mosque, and thePudong Mosque—were built. The Shanghai Islamic Association is located in the Xiaotaoyuan Mosque in Huangpu.[174] According to the 2010census of China, there are an estimated 85,000 Muslims in Shanghai.[175]
Thevernacular language spoken in the city is Shanghainese, part of theTaihu Wu subgroup of theWu Chinese language family. This is different from the national language,Mandarin, which is mutually unintelligible with Wu Chinese.[178] Modern Shanghainese derives from the indigenous Wu spoken in the former Songjiang prefecture but has been influenced by other dialects of Taihu Wu, most notablySuzhounese, andNingbonese.[179]
Before its expansion, the language spoken in Shanghai was not as prominent as those spoken aroundJiaxing and laterSuzhou,[179] and was known as "the local tongue" (本地閑話), a name which is now used in suburbs only.[180] In the late 19th century, downtown Shanghainese (市區閑話 or simply上海閑話) appeared, undergoing rapid changes and replacing Suzhounese as theprestige dialect of theYangtze River Delta region. At the time, most immigration into the city came from the two adjacent provinces, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the local dialects of which had the greatest influence on Shanghainese. After 1949, Putonghua (Standard Mandarin) also had an impact on Shanghainese because it was promoted by the government.[179] Since the 1990s, many migrants outside of the Wu-speaking region come to Shanghai for education and jobs; they often cannot speak the local language and use Putonghua (Mandarin) as alingua franca. Because Putonghua and English were more favored, Shanghainese began to decline, and fluency among young speakers weakened. In recent years, there have been movements within the city to promote the local language and protect it from fading out.[181][182]
Shanghai is an international center of research and development and as of 2025, it was rankedsecond globally (afterBeijing) by scientific research outputs, as tracked by theNature Index.[183] When compared to other countries, Shanghai ranked higher than France and nearly on par with Japan, securing sixth place globally after China, the US, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan, according to the Nature Index for 2025. For instance, Shanghai's share of the 2024 Nature Index is 3,153.61, with a count of 6,680, while Japan's share is 3,185.39, with 5,555 counts.[183][184]
Shanghai has 15 universities listed in147 Double First-Class Universities, ranking second nationwide among Chinese cities (after Beijing). According to theU.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking for 2025–26, Shanghai had the third highest concentration of universities among all major cities in the world included in the ranking, totaling 22, with three in the top 125 and six in the global top 500.[187] In the 2025Academic Ranking of World Universities, Shanghai had two in the top 40, three in the top 150 and nine in the top 500.[188] Some of these universities were selected as "985 universities" or "211 universities" since the 90s by the Chinese government to build world-class universities.[189][190]
Shanghai has a public transportation system comprising metros, buses, ferries, and taxis, which can be accessed using aShanghai Public Transport Card.[206]
Shanghai's rapid transit system, theShanghai Metro, incorporates subway and light metro lines and extends to each core urban district as well as neighboring suburban districts. As of 2025[update], there are 19 metro lines (excluding theShanghai maglev train andJinshan railway), 508stations, and 808 km (502 mi) of lines in operation, making it thelongest network in the world.[131] On 8 March 2019, it set the city's daily metro ridership record with 13.3 million.[207] Opened in 2004, the Shanghai maglev train is the first and the fastest commercial high-speedmaglev in the world, with a maximum operation speed of 430 km/h (267 mph).[208]
The firsttram line in Shanghai was opened in 1908. By 1925, there were 328 tramcars and 14 routes operated by Chinese, French, and British companies collaboratively,[209] all of which werenationalized in 1949. Since the 1960s, tram lines were either dismantled or replaced bytrolleybus ormotorbus lines;[210] the last tram line was demolished in 1975.[211] Shanghai reintroduced trams in 2010 with therubber-tyredZhangjiang Tram.[212] In 2018, the steel wheeledSongjiang Tram started operating in Songjiang District.[213]
Shanghai has the world's most extensivebus network, including the world's oldest continuously operatingtrolleybus system, with 1,575 lines covering a total length of 8,997 km (5,590 mi) by 2019.[131] The system is operated by multiple companies.[214] As of 2024, 30,900 taxis were in operation in Shanghai, which carried 134 million passengers that year.[215]
Bicycle lanes are common in Shanghai, separating non-motorized traffic from car traffic on most surface streets. However, bicycles and motorcycles are banned on expressways and some main roads. Cycling has increased in popularity due to the emergence of dockless, app-basedbicycle-sharing systems, such asMobike,Hello, andDiDi Bike [zh].[219][220] As of December 2018[update], bicycle-sharing systems had an average of 1.15 million daily riders within the city.[221]
Private car ownership in Shanghai is rapidly increasing: in 2019, there were 3.40 million private cars in the city, a 12.5% increase from 2018.[131] New private cars cannot be driven without alicense plate, which are sold in monthly license plate auctions. Around 9,500 license plates are auctioned each month, and the average price was about CN¥89,600 (US$12,739) in 2019.[222] This policy was introduced to limit the growth of automobile traffic and alleviate congestion.[223]
Inside Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 1
Shanghai is one of the largest air transportation hubs in Asia.[234] The city has two commercial airports:Shanghai Pudong International Airport andShanghai Hongqiao International Airport.[235] Pudong is the primary international airport, while Hongqiao mainly operates domestic flights with limited short-haul international flights. In 2018, Pudong International Airport served 74.0 million passengers and handled 3.8 million tons of cargo, making it the ninth-busiest airport by passenger volume and third-busiest airport by cargo volume.[236][237] The same year, Hongqiao International Airport served 43.6 million passengers, making it the 19th-busiest airport by passenger volume.[236]
Due toYangshan Port, Shanghai has become the world's busiest container port.
The culture of Shanghai was formed by a combination of theWuyue culture and the "East Meets West"Haipai culture. Wuyue culture's influence is manifested in Shanghainese language—which comprises dialectal elements from Jiaxing, Suzhou, and Ningbo—andShanghai cuisine, which was influenced by those ofJiangsu andZhejiang.[247] Haipai culture emerged after Shanghai became a prosperous port in the early 20th century, with foreigners from Europe, America, Japan, and India moving into the city.[248] The culture fuses elements ofWestern cultures with the local Wuyue culture, and its influence extends to the city's literature, fashion, architecture, music, and cuisine.[249] The term Haipai was coined by Beijing writers in 1920 to criticize Shanghai scholars for admiringcapitalism and Western culture.[249][250] In the early 21st century, Shanghai has been recognized as a new influence and inspiration forcyberpunk culture.[251] The city is recognized byUNESCO as a "City of Design" since February 2010.[252]
Benbang cuisine (本帮菜)[260] is cooking style that originated in the 1600s, with influences from surrounding provinces. It emphasizes the use of condiments while retaining the original flavors of the raw ingredients. Sugar is an important ingredient in Benbang cuisine, especially in combination with soy sauce. Signature dishes of Benbang cuisine includeXiaolongbao,Red braised pork belly, andShanghai hairy crab.[261]
Haipai cuisine is a Western-influenced cooking style that originated in Shanghai. It uses elements from French, British, Russian, German, and Italian cuisines and adapted them for local taste preferences and to incorporate local ingredients.[262] Haipai cuisine dishes include Shanghai-styleborscht (罗宋汤, "Russian soup"), crispy pork cutlets, andShanghai salad, derived fromOlivier salad.[263] Both Benbang and Haipai cuisine use varoius seafoods includingfreshwater fish,shrimp, and crab.[264]
十万图之四 (No. 4 of a Hundred Thousand Scenes) byRen Xiong, a pioneer of the Shanghai School of Chinese art,c. 1850
The Songjiang School (淞江派), containing the Huating School (华亭派) founded byGu Zhengyi,[265] was a small painting school in Shanghai during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.[266] It was represented byDong Qichang.[267] The school was considered an expansion of theWu School in Suzhou, the cultural center of the Jiangnan region at the time.[268] TheShanghai School commenced in the 19th century, focusing on the visual content of painting through the use of bright colors, using secular objects like flowers and birds as themes.[269]Western art was introduced to Shanghai in 1847 by Spanish missionary Joannes Ferrer (范廷佐), and the city's first Western atelier was established in 1864 inside theTushanwan orphanage (土山湾孤儿院).[270] During the Republic of China, artists includingZhang Daqian,Liu Haisu,Xu Beihong,Feng Zikai, andYan Wenliang settled in Shanghai, allowing it to become the art center of China. Art forms such asphotography,wood carving,sculpture,comics (Manhua), andLianhuanhua—thrived.Sanmao was created to dramatize the chaos created by the Second Sino-Japanese War.[271] The most comprehensive art and cultural facility in Shanghai is the China Art Museum, with 64,000 square metres (690,000 sq ft) of exhibition space.[272][273]
TraditionalChinese opera became a popular source of public entertainment in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century,monologue andburlesque in Shanghainese appeared, absorbing elements from traditional dramas. In the 1920s,Pingtan performance art expanded from Suzhou to Shanghai;[275] commercial radio stations expanded its popularity in the 1930s, with 103 programs every day. A Shanghai-style Beijing Opera was formed in the 1930s, led byZhou Xinfang andGai Jiaotian [zh].[276] A small troupe from Shengxian (nowShengzhou) promotedYue opera on the Shanghainese stage.[277]Shanghai opera was formed when local folksongs were fused with modern operas.[278]
TheShanghai Cricket Club dates back to 1858, when the first recorded cricket match was played between a team ofBritish Naval officers and a Shanghai 11. TheShanghai cricket team played various international matches between 1866 and 1948 as China's de factoChina national cricket team. After going dormant in 1949 after the founding of the PRC, the club was re-established in 1994 by expatriates living in the city and has since grown to over 300 members.[293]
Shanghai has an extensive public park system; by 2022, the city had 670 parks, of which 281 had free admission, and the per capita park area was 9 m2 (97 sq ft).[297] The largest park in Shanghai isCentury Park in Pudong.[298]
ThePeople's Square park, located in the heart of downtown Shanghai, is known for its proximity to other major landmarks in the city.Fuxing Park, located in the former French Concession, features formal French-style gardens and is surrounded by high-end bars and cafes.[299]Lu Xun Park in Hongkou is named after writerLu Xun, whose tomb is located within the park.[300]Zhongshan Park, in western central Shanghai, contains a monument ofChopin, the tallest statue dedicated to the composer in the world.[301] The park featuressakura andpeony gardens and a 150-year-oldplatanus.[302]
Air pollution in Shanghai is not as severe as in many other Chinese cities, but is still considered substantial by world standards.[306] During the2013 Eastern China smog, air pollution rates reached between 23 and 31 times the international standard.[307][308] On 6 December 2013, levels of PM2.5particulate matter in Shanghai rose above 600 micrograms per cubic meter and in the surrounding area, above 700 micrograms per cubic meter.[308] Levels of PM2.5 in Putuo District reached 726 micrograms per cubic meter.[309][310] The following month,Yang Xiong, themayor of Shanghai, announced three measures to manage the air pollution in Shanghai: implementing the 2013 air-cleaning program, establishing a linkage mechanism with the three surrounding provinces, and improving the city's early-warning systems.[311] That year, China's cabinet announced that a CN¥10 billion (US$1.7 billion) fund will be set up to help companies meet the new environmental standards.[312] From 2013 to 2018, more than 3,000 treatment facilities for industrial waste gases were installed, and the city's annualsmoke,nitrogen oxide, andsulfur dioxide emissions decreased by 65%, 54%, and 95%, respectively.[313][314]
In 2023, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Shanghai reached a rate of 87.7%, a 0.6% increase compared to the previous year. The annual average concentration of inhalable particulate matter (PM10) was 48 microgrammes per cubic meter, while the annual average concentration of fine particulate matter was 28 microgrammes per cubic meter.[315]
A residual waste truck and a kitchen waste truck inHuangpu
A 16-year rehabilitation of Suzhou Creek, which runs through the city, was finished in 2012, clearing the creek of barges and factories and removing 1.3 million cubic meters of sludge.[316][317] The government has moved almost all the factories within the city center to either the outskirts or other provinces.[318] Shanghai once promoted the usage ofliquefied petroleum gas vehicles, such as scooters and taxis, in the early 2000s; due to safety risks and lack of refuelling stations, these vehicles met limited success in the city.[319]
On 1 July 2019, Shanghai adopted a new garbage-classification system that sorts waste into categories such as residual, kitchen, recyclable, and hazardous.[320] The wastes are collected by separate vehicles and sent toincineration plants,landfills,recycling centers, and hazardous-waste-disposal facilities, respectively.[321]
Media in Shanghai [zh] covers newspapers, publishers, broadcast, television, and the Internet, with some media having influence over the country. Concerning foreign publications in Shanghai, Hartmut Walravens of theIFLA Newspapers Section said that when the Japanese controlled Shanghai in the 1940s "it was very difficult to publish good papers – one either had to concentrate on emigration problems, or cooperate like theChronicle."[322]
As of March 2020[update], newspapers publishing in Shanghai include:
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