Mad About Shanghai

Introduction to Shanghai

Fast Facts

Area: 6340 sq km (2473sq mi)
Population: 16.7 million
People: Han Chinese
Main language: Mandarin (putonghua)/Shanghaihua
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +8
Telephone Code: 021

Historic Transformation

Shanghai underwent a historic transformation on May 27, 1949, when it was liberated by the People's Liberation Army of the Communist Party of China from the Kuomingtang rule. In the past five decades, fundamental changes have taken place in this once semi-feudal and semi-colonial city. Particularly, since China adopted the reform and opening policy in 1978, Shanghai has witnessed marked progresses in its social and economic development. Today, Shanghai is the largest economic and transportation centre in China. Today, the city is striving to become one of the economic, financial, trade and international shipping centers in the world.

Founding of the City

Shanghai began as Huating County, an administrative district established in 751 AD. The county, located in an area known today as Songjiang District, reached to Hongkou District in the north, Xiasha in the east and the coast in the south. In 991 AD, Shanghai Town was established in the county. During the 1260-1274 period, the town evolved into an important trading port. In 1292, the then central government approved the establishment of Shanghai County in this area, which has been widely deemed as the official beginning of the city of Shanghai.

Administrative Districts

After several periods of administration readjustment since 1949, Shanghai is now divided into 16 districts and three counties. There are 171 towns, 3 townships, 93 subdistrict committees, 3,30 neighborhood committees and 2,771 villagers' committees in the city.

Topographic Features

Except for a few hills in the southwest corner, most of the Shanghai area is flat and belongs to the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta. The average sea level elevation is about four meters.

Climate

With a northern sub-tropical maritime monsoon climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons every year. Its spring and autumn are relatively short compared with the summer and winter. In 2000, the average annual temperature was 17.6 degrees Celsius. The city had a frost-free period of 300 days a year, and received an average annual rainfall of 1,302 millimetres. However, nearly 50 per cent of the precipitation came during the May-September flood season, which is divided into three rainy periods, namely the Spring Rains, the Plum Rains and the Autumn Rains.

Location

Shanghai is situated at 31'14' north latitude and 121'29' east longitude. Bordering on Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces on the west, Shanghai is washed by the East China Sea on the east and Hangzhou Bay on the south. North of the city, the Yangtze River pours into the East China Sea. It also assumes the central location along China's coastal line. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location, Shanghai has today become an excellent sea and river port, boasting easy accesses to a vast hinterland.

Population

Before Shanghai was liberated in 1949, the city had a population of only 5.2 million. By the end of 2000, Shanghai's population had grown to 13.2163 million (according to the permanent residence registration), representing 1 per cent of China's total. The figure was 2.5 times of that registered before 1949. In 2000, the average population density in the city stood at 2,084 people per square kilometre, but the figure was 2,897 in the urban area. By the end of the year, the city had a total population of 16.74 million (including the floating population).

Growth Prediction

The United Nations estimates that Shanghai's population will stand at 23.4 million by the year 2015.

City Flower

In 1986, the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress passed a resolution adopting the white magnolia as the city flower. The white magnolia is among the few spring flowers in Shanghai. It is in full blossom in early spring. The flower has large, white petals and its eye always looks towards the sky. Therefore, the flower symbolizes the pioneering and enterprising spirit of the city.

Choosing a Name

Shanghai is called in Chinese "Hu" for short. During the Jin Dynasty (4th-5th centuries), fishermen living along the Songjiang River (today's Suzhou Creek) and the coast of the East China Sea created a fishing tool they called "Hu." By combining the name of the fishing tool and the then term for estuary of big rivers, they coined a Chinese character "Hu" to name the place as it sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China.

A New Gold Rush

Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission is expecting 3 million overseas visitors and 95 million domestic tourists to visit Shanghai in 2003, putting an estimated RMB121.3 billion ($US14.5 billion) into the city coffers.

Popular Destination

When Shanghai's unique architectural legacy and its recent economic transformation are factored in, it is easy to see why seven of every 10 visitors to China come to Shanghai.

Numbers Add Up

Numbers tell an essential part of the story. While the city has just one per cent of China's population, Shanghai accounts for four per cent of China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 11 per cent of its financial services, and 12 per cent of China's total industrial output. Textiles, steel, manufacturing, and shipbuilding dominate the city's economy, which reports double-digit growth year after year. Nearly half its workforce is involved in manufacturing.

No Small Feat

Shanghai is not only home to China's first and largest stock exchange, it also contains more than two dozen McDonald's, 50 KFCs, 2,000 Internet cafes, and one million mobile phone users - not to mention the world's second largest department store and the tallest hotel on Earth. With prosperity, even sales of the venerable bicycle, formerly the chief means of transport in the city, have declined (from one million sales in Shanghai in 1990 to half that today). Meanwhile, the streets are crowded with some 600,000 vehicles (including 40,000 taxis) and 280,000 motorcycles.

City of Big Dreams

This is a city of big dreams. City planners promise that Shanghai will soon be not only China's financial and manufacturing capital, but its "green" capital as well. Shanghai has converted Nanjing Road to a pedestrian mall, remodeled the Bund and its promenade, revitalized many avenues and villas in the old French Concession, and created 1,800 hectares (4,500 acres) of greenway with trees and lawns (an area equivalent to 4,000 football fields). The city's 40,000 taxis are slated to be converted to natural gas as the primary fuel by 2003. The latest environmental project is an ambitious one indeed: the Huangpu River Renovation Project, covering 20km (12 miles) of downtown riverfront on both shores (between the Nanpu and brand-new Lupu bridges). The harbor will be transformed by green corridors, a flower bridge, an elliptical canal, a maritime museum, marinas, riverside parks, and new housing estates. The goal is to make Shanghai a "state-level garden city, like Dalian and Xiamen" by 2005, the same year that over 1,000 noisy powerboats using tractor engines will be banned from the main waterways. Already Shanghai earmarks three per cent of its GDP to anti-pollution efforts, the highest investment rate in China.

Foreign Faces

In the colonial 1930s, there was a saying that in Shanghai "everywhere within a radius of 10 miles, you'll see a foreign face". Today, many expatriates reside in Shanghai and millions of tourists from around the globe visit the city.

Earthquakes

Shanghai is not located in a particularly earthquake-prone zone. The last big one was in 1624, although a 6.2 quake in the Yellow Sea in 1984 caused some Shanghai residents to jump out of windows in fear. Twenty stations measure tilting, budging, and other seismic activity around Shanghai. New buildings can withstand quakes in the 7.0 range and above. Regional earthquakes during the past 20 years (centered in the East China Sea) have been in the 5.0-6.2 range.

Electricity

The electricity in Shanghai is 220 volts, alternating current (AC), 50 cycles. Outlets come in a variety of configurations. Be prepared to supply your own transformers and modem adapters. Hotels do supply a range of standard adapters. The most common adapters are the narrow round two-pin, the slanted two-prong, and the three-prong types.

Emergencies

The emergency phone numbers in Shanghai are 110 for police, 119 for fire, and 120 for ambulance.

Information

There are three official Tourist Information Centres (also called Consultant Service for Tourists) in Shanghai, with English-language speakers, located at the Hongqiao Airport, international arrival hall (ph. 021/6268-8899, ext. 56750; open 10am-9:30pm daily); at the People's Square Metro Station, main hall (ph. 021/6438-1693; open 8:30am-5pm daily); and at the Yu Yuan Commercial Building, Yayi Jewelry Store, Old Town Shanghai (ph. 021/6355-4909; 8:30am-9pm daily).

International Calls

To make an international direct dial (IDD) call from Shanghai (which you can do from most Shanghai hotel rooms), dial the international access code (00) + the country code for the country you are calling + the area code and the local phone number. The country code for Australia is 61, for New Zealand 64, for the U.S. and Canada 1, and for the United Kingdom 44. To call the Australia from Shanghai, for example, dial 00 + 61 + Australian area code + phone number. If you have questions, speak with the hotel operator or an international operator (ph. 116).

Smoking

China has more smokers than any other nation, an estimated 350 million, accounting for one of every three cigarettes consumed worldwide. About 70 per cent of the men smoke. Recent anti-smoking campaigns have led to laws banning smoking on all forms of public transport (including taxis) and in waiting rooms and terminals. The ban is spreading to some public buildings. Fines can be levied, but enforcement is sporadic. Hotels provide non-smoking rooms and floors and many restaurants have begun to set aside non-smoking tables and sections. At present, expect to encounter more smoking in public places in China than in most Western countries.

Time Zone

Shanghai (and all of China) is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 8). Shanghai does not use daylight savings time. For the current time in Shanghai, telephone 117.

Water

Water from the tap is not safe for drinking (or for brushing teeth). The water available in hotel rooms in flasks, thermoses, or plastic bottles is safe to drink. Clean bottled water (including imported brands) can be purchased almost everywhere, even from street vendors, very cheaply.

Weather

The Shanghai Daily and China Daily newspapers, Chinese TV news programs and some hotel bulletin boards furnish the next day's forecast. You can also dial Shanghai's weather number, telephone 121.

Currency

The RMB (Renminbi) is the official currency. The basic unit of RMB is the yuan also known as "kuai," divided into 10 jiao, which is again divided into 10 fen. Yuan notes come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 50, and 100.

Welcome To Shanghai

Shanghai  Skyline with Oriental Pearl Tower in the center.
Welcome to Shanghai!!

This blog is designed to provide every imaginable bit of information on the sensational city of  Shanghai.

My name is Sabrina and as an immigrant from Shanghai (now living in Sydney Australia), I want to share my knowledge,  thoughts and experiences with you about Shanghai and China in general.

I came to Australia in 2003 and  have been absolutely enjoying living in such a beautiful and free country.  Except for Sydney, I"ve been to a few major cities and coastal cities/towns including the Great Barrier Reef region, I'm constantly amazed by the natural beauty of Auzz land.

I do feel nostalgic now and then. I miss Shanghai's food (especially Da zha xie which are big river crabs), Shanghai's late night shopping EVERY day, Shanghai's restaurants (inexpensive), Shanghai city's lights (especially at night), Shanghai's skyscrapers (International architecture display) and even Shanghai's crowds.

As a English teacher in  an  international institution,  I did have a wonderful job and great opportunities in Shanghai. However, driven by curiosity and adventurousness, I decided to try my luck in a totally new country.

I started from scratch with $400 in my bank account after paying 2 weeks rent and 4 weeks bond.  I didn't know any one and all by myself.

Now I own my business ( after 20 months ), and I want to share my stories and experiences with you.