page_title: Shanghai
section_title: Cityscape
hierarchical_section_title: Shanghai / Cityscape
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Panorama-Blick vom World Financial Center, Shanghai
context_page_description: Shanghai is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China. It is under the direct administration of the State Council of China. The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze, with the Huangpu River flowing through it. With a population of 24.28 million as of 2019, it is the most populous urban area in China and the second most populous city proper in the world. Shanghai is a global center for finance, technology, innovation, and transportation, and the Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
  Originally a fishing village and market town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to trade and its favorable port location. The city was one of five treaty ports forced open to foreign trade after the First Opium War. The Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession were subsequently established. The city then flourished, becoming a primary commercial and financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region in the 1930s. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the city was the site of the major Battle of Shanghai.
caption: Panoramic view of the Bund from Pudong
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