Shanghai

: Alternate meanings: See Shanghai (disambiguation)

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Shanghai ({{zh-cp |c=上海 |p=Shànghǎi}}; Shanghainese IPA: {{IPA|/zɑ̃ hɛ/}}), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta, is China's largest city. The city's development in the past few decades has made it one of the most important economic, commercial, financial and communications centers of China.

Related Topics:
Shanghainese - IPA - Yangtze River Delta - China

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Shanghai is also home to the world's busiest port, followed by Singapore and Rotterdam.

Related Topics:
Port - Singapore - Rotterdam

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Administratively, Shanghai is one of four municipalities of the People's Republic of China, which have provincial-level status.

Related Topics:
Municipalities - People's Republic of China - Provincial

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The two characters in the name "Shanghai" literally mean "up/above" and "sea". The earliest occurrence of this name dates from the Song Dynasty, at which time there was already a river confluence and a town called "Shanghai" in the area. It is unclear how the name originated or how its meaning should be interpreted, though a literal reading suggests the sense "onto the sea".

Related Topics:
Characters - Song Dynasty

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In Chinese, Shanghai's abbreviations are Hù (滬 or 沪) and Shēn (申).

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The city has had various nicknames in English, including "Paris of the East", "Queen of the Orient" (or "Pearl of the Orient"), and even "The Whore of Asia" (a reference to corruption in the 1920s and 1930s, including vice, drugs and prostitution.)

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