Facts about Shanghai

Its current population exceeds 28 million inhabitants. Only Tokyo, Japan, and Delhi, India, precede Shanghai in terms of population, with 37 million and 32 million, respectively.

It is an appropriate name, considering that Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Huangpu River.

One of the Yangtze man-made tributaries, the Huangpu River, flows through the city.

The true development of the city, however, started in the 19th century, thanks to international and domestic trade because of the First Opium War (1839-1842).

Over 18,000 people were killed, injured, or declared missing, and the Zhabei district completely destroyed.

The first engagement of the Second Sino-Japanese War took place in 1937 and is called the Battle of Shanghai. It is regarded as the bloodiest battle of the war, often referred to as the “Stalingrad on the Yangtze.” Some historians claim it was the starting point of World War II.

Shanghainese is so distinctive from Chinese that most people from around the country cannot understand it.

English is taught at schools in Shanghai since the first grade.

Shanghai is ranked the fifth city in the world by the number of Fortune Global 500 companies.

It belongs to the genus magnolia, native to China. It grows in the Yangtze River basin.

There are over 1,000 bus lines throughout the city.

Currently, it has 802 kilometers of track.

It is the fastest commercial train in the world. It reaches a top speed of 430 kph.

Invented back in 1875, they are dumplings typically filled with pork, and with added meat aspic that melts into soup during steaming.

It is known as a “sweet tooth” city. Sugar is the basic ingredient of various sauces, thus overall, dishes eaten in Shanghai are considered the sweetest in China.

It is a hot soup with ball-shaped rice dumplings filled with black sesame.

The first KFC opened in 1989 and has continuously been one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the city.

Art Deco, a style of architecture, visual arts, and product design, originated in the 1910s in France and spread worldwide within the next two decades. It made its way to the Middle Kingdom (a name derived from the native name of China–Zhongguo) and was incorporated into the local architecture style. Currently, the entire city represents an eclectic architectural style, combining modernism with Chinese deco.

The most notable Art Deco buildings in the city are the Park Hotel, the Broadway Mansions, and the Grand Cinema.

It is depicted by two or three-story structures, resembling terrace- or town-houses, popular in Europe and North America.

The most notable buildings are the Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai Museum, and the Shanghai Grand Theater.

The Shanghai Tower, which is 632 meters high, was opened in 2017. Currently, it is the third tallest building in the world, surpassed by Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and Merdeka 118 in Malaysia. It has the world’s highest observation deck, located at 562 meters.

Wintastar Shanghai is a complex of indoor ski slopes, a waterpark, and a hotel. It will cover an area of 227,000 square meters, with 90,000 square meters of slopes.

It is 11 times larger than the original park located in Anaheim, California. At the same time, it is the second largest theme park, surpassed by the Magic Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. During construction, over 1,200 graves had to be relocated, which was compensated with $43 per family.

Tourism generates over 14% of the city’s GDP. Annually, Shanghai is visited by over four million tourists.

Every weekend from noon to 5 p.m. parents of unmarried adults gather at People’s Park and exchange information on potential partners. The first marriage market was held in 2004 in Beijing, and since then parents eager to marry off their adult sons and daughters gather in the parks of major cities across China.