Shanghai

Shanghai, China’s largest city and global financial hub, sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River on the country’s central coast. Founded as a fishing village, it rose to prominence in the 19th century as a treaty port and quickly became a cosmopolitan center of trade, finance and culture. Today the municipality covers 6,340 km² and governs about 24 million residents, making it one of the world’s most populous urban areas.
The city is renowned for its striking skyline—dominated by the Oriental Pearl Tower, the 492-metre World Financial Center and the 632-metre Shanghai Tower—and for the historic Bund waterfront, where colonial-era buildings face the futuristic towers of Pudong across the Huangpu River. Beyond its economic role, Shanghai offers rich cultural venues: the Shanghai Museum, the China Art Museum, the French Concession’s plane-tree-lined lanes, classical gardens such as Yu Yuan and contemporary art zones like the Power Station of Art.
Shanghai’s cuisine reflects its location: fresh-water seafood, river fish and seasonal vegetables feature in dishes like sweet-and-sour mandarin fish, drunken crab and the city’s signature xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). A comprehensive metro system, the world’s longest by route length, links distant districts, while high-speed rail connections put Hangzhou 45 minutes away and Beijing just over four hours away. As the host of the China International Import Expo, the annual Shanghai Fashion Week and the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, the city continues to blend East and West, tradition and innovation, cementing its status as China’s gateway to the world.