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15 Interesting Facts About Shanghai

Shanghai is with no doubt one of the most popular cities in the world to study and work. Whatever your reason for visiting, Shanghai guarantees to continually surprise every visitor with its dynamic, ever-changing urban environment and way of life. It is the most populated city in China as well as its financial center. However, a tour around the city reveals the influence of several world powers. Shanghai also has world-class museums, beautiful parks, and pleasant pedestrian districts. That isn’t everything. There are some great water towns to explore just a short distance from the city. Here are the top 15 facts about Shanghai that you surely didn’t know before.

Read also; Top 10 Best Things to do in Shanghai

1. Shanghai is China’s undeniably most populous metropolis

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This fast-growing city had a population of 16.4 million inhabitants in 2000. In 2019, Shanghai’s population surpassed 22 million. In 2022, the administrative territory of Shanghai municipality was home to around 24.76 million permanent residents, according to official Chinese statistics.

In 2017, the Shanghai municipal government announced intentions to limit Shanghai’s population to 25 million by 2020, with a target population of roughly 25 million maintained until 2035, in order to “mitigate the contradiction between rapid population growth and resource and environmental constraints.”

2. The city has a rich history

Though people have lived in the area surrounding modern-day Shanghai for over 6000 years, the first town appeared during the late Song Dynasty. In 1074, this fishing settlement became a market town, and in 1272, it became the county seat. During the Qing dynasty’s reign, Shanghai was already a significant port.

Following the First Opium War, the British conquered Shanghai in 1842. Shanghai’s port soon opened to foreign trade. The city thrived greatly and continued to thrive even more after it became a municipality in 1927. After WWII, everything altered radically. The city suffered greatly during the Cultural Revolution.

3. Shanghai is a prominent Chinese educational hub

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Shanghai’s school system is without a doubt one of the best in China, owing to the city’s economic stability. The fact that it was the country’s first city to employ a 9-year mandatory education system demonstrates the system’s worth for advancement. In 2010, Shanghai’s education system was able to take first place in a test administered by the Program for International Student Assessment. According to the statistics, Shanghai students scored the highest in the world in assessment examinations in the subjects of Math, Reading, and Science. How interesting!

4. The Shanghai Tower is the world’s second-tallest structure

Since 2015, the tower has been the tallest and largest LEED Platinum-certified building in the world. It has the world’s highest observation deck within a building or structure (together with the Ping An Finance Center) at 562 meters. Until 2017, it held the world’s second-fastest elevator, with a top speed of 20.5 meters per second (74 km/h; 46 mph). until the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center exceeded it with a high speed of 21 meters per second (76 km/h; 47 mph).

5. Shanghai Metro system is the world’s biggest metro system by route length

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The Shanghai Metro is a rapid transport system in Shanghai that serves 14 of the city’s 16 municipal districts as well as Kunshan Jiangsu Province. The Shanghai Metro system, which is part of Shanghai rail transportation, is the world’s longest metro system by route length, spanning 802 kilometers (498 miles).

It is also the second largest in terms of station count, with 408 stations on 19 lines. With 3.88 billion rides given in 2019, it ranks top in the globe in terms of annual ridership. On March 8, 2019, the daily ridership record was established at 13.29 million. Even after COVID, over 10 million people use the system on an average workday, accounting for 73% of Shanghai’s public transportation journeys.

Read also; Top 20 Facts about the city of Shanghai

6. The 2010 World Expo Shanghai is the largest Expo site ever

The 2010 World Expo Shanghai is the largest Expo site ever, spanning over 5.2 square kilometers and housing over 70 exposition pavilions. The 2010 Shanghai Expo received registration from over 190 countries and 50 international organizations.

The Expo had attracted well over 70 million people by the end of its six-month run. Expo 2010 is also the most expensive World’s Fair in history, with the Chinese government investing more than 45 billion US dollars. The transformative event took tens of millions of tourists on a journey via the theme “Better City, Better Life” and left an indelible mark on Shanghai, China, and the world.

7. Shanghai Disneyland is China’s first Disney theme park

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Shanghai Disneyland is the sixth Disney resort in the world, but it is the first of its kind. What’s within is equally unique. The Walt Disney Company collaborated with Chinese authorities on the nearly $6 billion project, and in order to persuade the government to let them in, Mickey Mouse’s masters agreed not to simply clone an existing Disneyland but to create something distinctly Chinese in flavor—to give the Chinese, in effect, their own specific version of Disney.

Read also; Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Shanghai Disneyland

8. The Old City of Shanghai still exists

Take notice that until the entrance of foreigners, Shanghai was entirely Chinese. In fact, Chinese Shanghai never went away. It was concentrated within Shanghai’s so-called Old City. The circular city was enclosed by city walls. These were demolished throughout the twentieth century. In fact, a small piece of the wall has remained and can be seen close to the Dajing Ge Pavilion. There existed some outstanding historical sites in this city, but only a few of them remained. Yu Garden and Jade Buddha Temple one of the city’s oldest temples, are testaments to the city’s medieval heritage.

9. Shanghai has a distinct architectural style

Fumihiko Ueno, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Shanghai’s historical position has been not just as the gateway to China, but also as the country’s window to the rest of the globe. A broad assortment of structures of many architectural styles demonstrates the city’s imperial origins and openness to the outside world. There is a feast of amazing architecture, including Renaissance architecture, neoclassicism, Nordicism, modernist blending art deco, and just plain kitsch.

Shanghai’s juxtaposition of avant-garde glass and steel skyscrapers and old-world brick-and-mortar ancient architecture is visually stunning, resulting in a clash of the ultra-modern and the traditional. The neoclassical buildings of the Bund along the Huangpu River compete with the soaring mirrored towers of Pudong.

10. Nanjing Road is one of the busiest shopping alleys on the planet

Whatever your tastes are, we bet you won’t leave Nanjing Road, one of the world’s biggest shopping streets, empty-handed. Stores along the tree-lined, pedestrian-only stretch sell everything from cutting-edge technology to silk scarves at a tenth of the price in the West. But it’s also worth taking a detour into the side alleyways, where you can come across market stalls selling fresh fish and veggies, teahouses serving dumplings and hot cups of oolong, and cats lying in rays of sunlight.

The Nanjing Road history can be traced back to 1845, when it was known as “Park Lane” and ran from the Bund to He’nan Road. It was extended to Zhejiang Road in 1854. The Municipal Council, which oversaw the International Settlement, renamed it “Nanking Road” in 1862. After World War II the government changed its name from Nanking Road to “East Nanjing Road”, meanwhile they also renamed the former Bubbling Well Road “West Nanjing Road”, and the general name of the two roads became “Nanjing Road”, comprising five kilometers in total length.

11. Shanghai Maglev is the world’s first commercial high-speed maglev

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The Shanghai Maglev Train (Shanghai Maglev Demonstration Line) is the world’s first commercial maglev line. The route connects Longyang Road Station on Shanghai Subway Route 2 to Pudong International Airport in less than 8 minutes, covering a distance of 30 kilometers (19 miles).

The train can achieve speeds of up to 431 km/h (268 mph) during the journey. Imagine tearing through the Chinese countryside at breakneck speeds. You are, in fact, floating! That’s the feeling everyone gets when they try Shanghai Maglev. Guinness World Records certified it as the fastest commercial train in the world in 2003.

12. Shanghai is one of China’s most delightful places to live 

The various pedestrian zones are one of the elements that make Shanghai one of the most enjoyable locations to live in China. They are lined with interesting architecture and provide everything from commerce to hospitality. The most well-known is the neighborhood surrounding Yuyuan Garden in Old Shanghai. This is Shanghai’s busiest pedestrian area.

Apart from the garden, it’s not really interesting. Around the French Concession, there are various pedestrian zones. Close to the heart, Xintiandi is an entertainment district bordered by trees and lovely residences. It was designed by the renowned Skidmore, Owings & Merril firm. This city is really beautiful.

13. The Shanghai Stock Exchange is located in Shanghai

Steffen Wurzel, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Shanghai was the first city in Mainland China to see the rise of stocks, stock trading, and stock exchanges. Stock trading began in Shanghai in the 1860s. The Shanghai Share Brokers Association, an early kind of stock market, was founded in Shanghai in 1891. With the establishment of the Shanghai Securities Goods Exchange and the Shanghai Chinese Securities Exchange, the city evolved as the Far East’s financial capital, where both Chinese and foreign investors could trade stocks, bonds, and futures.

14. The city’s cuisine is renowned for its variety

Shanghai, as everyone knows, is an open city with a wide variety of dishes. Not only do practically all Chinese cuisines pour into the metropolis, but so do unusual flavor dishes. Furthermore, anytime visitors visit the bustling metropolis, they must try Benbang food, a special meal that combines the essence of Oriental and Western cuisines.

Shanghai snacks, on the other hand, can please your palette for a reasonable price. It is hard to ignore the relevant culture as long as the themes of Shanghai gastronomy are discussed. To summarize, Shanghai cuisine culture can be reduced to sophistication. The dining area, dinnerware, raw materials, and dishes on the table are all classy.

Read also; 10 Best Bakeries in Shanghai

15. There are several water towns near the city

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Shanghai’s architecture is diverse and vibrant. The ancient old city, beautiful palaces, contemporary architecture, and high-tech towers are all here. The magic does not stop here. A dozen water towns can be found about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Shanghai. These are historic cities and towns that were established along canals and rivers. The most beautiful ones have kept their unique historic mansions and magnificent bridges. Traditional boats ply their canals, however, they now transport visitors rather than inhabitants. Zhujiajiao, Qibao, Luzhi, and Fengjing are the most attractive water towns in China. Imagine leaving a bustling city and arriving in a spot where time seems to have stood still.

In terms of modernism, Shanghai rivals New York or Paris, and it has an East-West culture. Shanghai is a popular tourist destination known for both historical landmarks and modern, ever-expanding skylines. This vibrant metropolis will never weary you.