Shanghai Municipality Scenes

1. Shanghai Huangpu River

Compared to most other major cities in China, Shanghai has a brief history. During the Three Kingdom Period (220-265) the Shanghai area was part of the naval Kingdom of Wu. Under the Tang (618-907) and Song (1127-1279) Dynasties, it was an undistinguished port and fishing village built atop mud flats. Japanese envoys landed here en route to the Tang court at Xi'an.

Under the Yuan Dynasty (1260-1378), it became a minor center for cotton spinning and weaving, partly as a result of innovative techniques. To defend against Japanese pirates, the Ming (1368-1644) Dynasty fortified the ramparts around the Old Town. During the 17th and 18th centuries, with the development of silk production in the surrounding areas, Shanghai became more of a trading center. By the early 1800s, it was a flourishing domestic port of some 50,000 people.