History and Location

Origin of “hu” and “shen”

Shanghai is called in Chinese “Hu” for short and “Shen” as a nickname. About 6000 years ago, the western part of today’s Shanghai dried up into land and its eastern part became a piece of land about 2000 years ago. During the Spring-Autumn and Warring States Periods (770-221 BC), this area was once the fief of Huang Xie, the Chun Shen Governor of the State of Chu. So, “Shen” comes from the title of the governor. During the Jin Dynasty (4th-5th centuries), fishermen created a fishing tool called “Hu”. By combining the name of the fishing tool and the then term for estuary of big rivers, they coined a Chinese character “Hu Du” to name the place as it sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, and later it was shortened as “Hu”.

Modern age

In the 16th century, Shanghai became he national center of textile handicraft industry. In 1685 .the central government of the Qing Dynasty set up its customs office in Shanghai. In the mid-19th century, the city evolved into a major trading port. Today, Shanghai has become one of largest economic centers in China, Now, the city is striving to run itself into one of the economic, financial, trade and shipping centers in the world.

Geographic location

Shanghai is situated at 31°14’ north latitude and 121°29’ east longitude. Bordering on Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces in the west, Shanghai is washed by East China Sea on the east and Hangzhou bay on the south. North of the city, the Yangtze River pours into the East China Sea. It also assumes the central location along China’s coastal line. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location, Shanghai become an excellent sea and river port, boasting easy accesses to a vast hinterland.