Shanghai: the Whore of the East? Or the Queen of the Orient? The city has been called both.
Shanghai was founded in 991 AD; it became important as a trading port in the 13th century and grew into a national textile center during the 16th century Ming era. In the 19th century the Opium Wars make Shanghai a semi-colony to European powers. The city's old French Quarter is among its most attractive areas today.
Today Shanghai is China's largest commercial port and economic center. But it is much, much more than that. Events like the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the Longhua Temple Fair, the Peach Blossom Festival in nearby Nanhui County, the International Tea Culture Festival, and the annual Orange Festival draw tourists by the thousands from both overseas and within China.
Shanghai is also a shopping Mecca that rivals Hong Kong. And the city's culinary scene is unrivalled.
Today over 17 million people live in Shanghai. The city boasts 48 cultural sites, 31 public libraries, 50 archives, 11 museums, and 29 performing groups. It is also the unofficial home of night life in China -- with discos and dance halls, brothels and symphonies, karaoke and more.
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