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Shanghai, with an urban population of more than 13 million, is the largest city in China, situated where the Yangtze River flows into the sea. I visited this teeming metropolis recently and was fascinated by the achievements of the city over the last ten years. China is changing rapidly, and Shanghai is one of the best places to experience this amazing change.

Shanghai has a long and colorful history. In the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), it was part of the Chu State. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it had developed into a burgeoning commercial harbor. Towards the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), an elderly lady, Huang Daopo, studied the spinning and weaving techniques at Hainan Island and brought these new technologies home to Shanghai. Thus cotton spinning and weaving boosted and modernized the city's economy. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Shanghai became the largest cotton textile center in China, and in 1685 the Qing government set up a customs office there.

After the Opium War broke out between China and Britain in 1840, Shanghai was forced to open a commercial port to foreign countries, and concessions (which were basically "countries within a country") were set up by several colonialists.

Shanghai, founded on commerce, is well known as a shopping paradise. Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road, lined with renowned traditional shops and department stores, are ideal places for shoppers, where all kinds of goods are on sale.

Chenghuangmiao (Town God Temple) is also a good marketplace to visit, which comprises more than 100 shops specializing in the sale of small products and souvenirs. Among the many shops there is one famous for selling pear syrup candy, with over 40 varieties of candy under its name. They are made with medicinal herbs as ingredients that are believed to relieve coughing and stimulate appetite. It is said that the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty invented it to cure his mother's bad cough. The candy proved to be as tasty as it was effective, and as a result has become quite famous. Yu Yuan Garden nearby was built in 1559. It boasts 48 unique scenic spots.

Life in Shanghai is enlivened by the presence of many theaters, movie houses, clubs, story-telling (a folk art form performed in Wu dialect accompanied by music and gestures) houses, and great foods. The many temples and churches there are also worth visiting. Xujiahui Catholic Cathedral is deservedly called the largest church in East Asia. Christian churches are scattered all over the city. The Buddhist faith is represented by Longhua Temple and Jade Buddha Temple. The seven-story octagonal Longhua Pagoda is exquisite. It is said that during the Period of Three Kingdoms (220-280), the King of Wu, Sun Quan, obtained several multi-colored stones believed to have come out from the ashes of the Buddha's cremated body. He ordered 13 pagodas to be built as repositories of the stones, the Longhua Pagoda being one of them.

Today, with the opening and intensive development of the new Pudong District, Shanghai has become an international metropolis of finance, commerce, real estate trading, information, and cultural activities. It will certainly play a major role in the drive for the further opening and the economic take-off of the Yangtze Delta and the entire country.

Written by our column writer Hao Zhuo and Jun Shan.

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