Shanghai is China's major port. Shanghai's most famous boulevard is called the Bund, which was once the home to many international banks and trading companies. Thus, many of the buildings are old European style structures. Nanjing Road is the busiest in Shanghai. Lined with shops, restaurants, and theaters, it extends for several miles and leads into the Bund.
Shanghai is a major port and a center of industry, education and research.
Today, one quarter of China's foreign trade is handled through the port of Shanghai. Shanghai is comprised of the old foreign section which still bears the imprint of western development and where skyscrapers tower over landscaped parks and gardens. There also is the original Chinese settlement with winding streets that are home to a large number of Shanghai's citizens plus new suburbs that surround these area. The government has put substantial effort into establishing 11 suburbs surrounding the original city, but still half of the city's population lives in only two percent of Shanghai's metropolitan area. The Shanghai residents live well by Chinese standards and have opportunities for ongoing training programs through Shanghai's many universities and trade schools.