Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SHANGHAI
021 / POP 23 MILLION
One of the country's most massive and vibrant cities, Shanghai somehow typi-
fies modern China while being unlike anywhere else in the land. Shanghai
is
real China, but - rather like Hong Kong or Macau - just not the China you had
in mind.
This is a city of action, not ideas. You won't spot many Buddhist monks con-
templating the dharma, oddball bohemians or wild-haired poets handing out
flyers, but skyscrapers will form before your eyes. Shanghai is best seen as an
epilogue to your China experience: submit to its charms after you've had your
fill of dusty imperial palaces and bumpy 10-hour bus rides.
History
As the gateway to the Yangzi River (Chang Jiang), Shanghai (the name
means 'by the sea') has long been an ideal trading port. However, although it
supported as many as 50,000 residents by the late 17th century, it wasn't until
after the British opened their concession here in 1842 that modern Shanghai
really came into being.
The British presence in Shanghai was soon followed by that of the French
and Americans, and by 1853 Shanghai had overtaken all other Chinese ports.
Built on the trade of opium, silk and tea, the city also lured the world's great
houses of finance, which erected grand palaces of plenty. Shanghai also be-
came a byword for exploitation and vice; its countless opium dens, gambling
joints and brothels managed by gangs were at the heart of Shanghai life.
Guarding it all were the American, French and Italian marines, British Tommies
and Japanese bluejackets.
Exploited in workhouse conditions, crippled by hunger and poverty, sold into
slavery, and excluded from the high life and the parks created by the foreign-
ers, the poor of Shanghai had a voracious appetite for radical opinion. The
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was formed here in 1921 and, after numer-
ous setbacks, 'liberated' the city in 1949.
Shanghai became a colourless factory town and political hotbed, and was
the power base of the infamous Gang of Four during the Cultural Revolution.
