1. Believe it or not, Shanghai was originally a samll fishing village called “Chunshen,” or “Shen” for short. Shang means above and hai means sea. The name Shanghai means “on the sea” — it vividly describes that the city is close to the sea.
2. In 2022, Shanghai is the 3rd largest city in the world with a population of over 28 million! Of course, the number of people in the city may actually be more than this–migrant workers, travelers, foreigners, and students can make the city feel even larger than this.
3. Despite being a huge city, Shanghai is very easy to get around! This is because Shanghai has the largest metro system in the world. With completion of the Line 15, the city has 459 stations and 771 kilometres (479 miles) of rail lines.
4. During the 1800s and early 1900s, the city was filled with both Chinese and foreign residents from all over the world. The unique blend of cultures and peoples produced memorable architecture and art. The city is especially famous for the “Art Deco” style of art.
5. Having 128 floors and 632-meters (2,073 ft) tall, the Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China, and the third tallest in the world! The tower has an observation deck on the 118th and 199th floors, elevators that go 20.5 meters per second (74 km/h; 46 mph), and the incredible “tuned mass damper” which limits the building’s swaying in the wind.
6. Xiao Long Bao is the signature dish of Shanghai which is made up of pork-filled soup dumplings. This dish originated in Nanxiang, a town in the Jiading District of Shanghai.
7. The White Yulan is the official city flower of Shanghai. China cultivated it for centuries due to its incredible beauty. As of today, places such as America and Europe plant and grows the White Yulan.
8. There are around 14 million people who currently speak Shanghainese. There is no official written form of Shanghainese language and it seldom appears in writing. Thus, modern Mandarin and other Chinese languages, such as Cantonese are currently influencing and mixing up with the Shanghainese language.
9. The world’s fastest public train is in Shanghai! Connecting Shanghai’s Pudong airport with Longyang Road station in the city center, it has a maximum commercial speed of 460 kph, completing the 30 kilometer journey in just seven and a half minutes.
10. Shanghai has a social system called the “marriage market”. On Sundays, many parents from Shanghai go to the People’s Square to exchange information and look for suitable mates for their children. Furthermore, the main objective is to find the right match which can be based upon someone’s age, job or business, income, educational attainment, family beliefs, Chinese zodiac sign, and personality.
The epic 12-day Yangtze River cruise through the ever-changing landscape, from the rice fields, via secret tributaries and rugged Gorges starts from cosmopolitan Shanghai all the way to vibrant Chongqing.
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