History of Shanghai

Shanghai grew from a settlement near the Huangpu River into a treaty-port city, an industrial center, and one of China’s largest metropolises.

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Huangpu River: A major river in eastern China that flows through Shanghai and joins the Yangtze River estuary. Its navigable channel anchored Shanghai’s growth as a port and shaped the city’s geography.
Treaty of Nanjing: The 1842 treaty that ended the First Opium War and opened five Chinese ports to British trade. Its terms opened Shanghai to foreign settlement and treaty-port commerce.
Chen Huacheng: A Qing dynasty general who commanded the defense of Wusong during the First Opium War. His defense of Shanghai’s river approaches preceded the treaty-port era.
Battle of Shanghai: A major 1937 battle between Chinese and Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The battle brought devastating warfare to the city and preceded Japanese occupation.
Shikumen: A Chinese urban housing form combining elements of Western row houses and traditional courtyard homes. Shikumen neighborhoods reflect the architectural and social mix of treaty-port Shanghai.
Shanghai County: A county established in 1292 under the Yuan dynasty, encompassing the early town of Shanghai. Its creation marked Shanghai’s emergence as an administrative center.
Shanghai International Settlement: A foreign-administered area in Shanghai formed through the expansion and merger of British and American settlements. Its separate municipal institutions shaped the city’s colonial-era landscape.
Sun Yat-sen: A Chinese revolutionary and political leader who helped overthrow the Qing dynasty and became the Republic of China’s provisional president. Shanghai served as a base for his revolutionary organizing and political activity.
Japanese occupation of Shanghai: The period of Japanese military control over Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Occupation ended the International Settlement’s autonomy and reordered city life.
Haipai culture: A modern Shanghai cultural style associated with cosmopolitanism, commercial life, and openness to outside influences. It names a cultural identity shaped by Shanghai’s encounters with global and Chinese influences.