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Shanghai is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China. Shanghai is one of the four municipalities in China, which also include Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing.
The two Chinese characters in the name "Shang" and "hai", literally mean "up/on/above" and "sea". Due to the changing coastline, historians conclud that in the Tang Dynasty Shanghai was literally on the sea, hence the origin of the name. A more poetic name for Shanghai switches the order of the two characters, Haishang, and is often used for terms related to Shanghainese art and culture.
Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to the city's strategic position at the mouth of the Yangtze River which made it an ideal location for trade with the West.
The name Yangtze River (Yangtse River or Yangzi River), is derived from Yangzi Jiang which was formerly the Chinese name for the river in its lower reaches around Shanghai. This was the first name heard by missionaries and traders, and was therefore incorrectly applied in English to the entire river. In Chinese, Yangzi Jiang is considered a historical or poetic name for the river, while the modern Chinese name, Chang Jiang, literally means "long river".
By the 1930's Shanghai had flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business. However, its prosperity was interrupted by the Sino-Japanese War and 1949 Communist takeover resulted in the subsequent cessation of foreign investment.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai became an industrial center. Yet, even during the most tumultuous times, Shanghai was able to maintain high economic productivity and relative social stability. Economic reforms in the 1990's have resulted in intense development and financing, and in 2005 Shanghai overtook Hong Kong as the world's busiest cargo port.
The city is an emerging tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as the Bund and Xintiandi, its modern and ever-expanding Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower, and its new reputation as a cosmopolitan center of culture and design. Today, Shanghai is the largest center of commerce and finance in mainland China, and has been described as the "showpiece" of the world's fastest-growing economy.
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