Shanghai, the largest and most prosperous metropolis in China, aims to be the financial center in the whole universe. The Expo is held in Shanghai now, which gathers the global attention and focus to that city. Almost every Chinese and some foreigners want to visit every pavilion in Expo Zone. Now, before you set off, you'd better get some information about Shanghai, including local custom, snacks and historical stories and anecdotes, then you'll experience more authentic life in different aspects of the native shanghainese, such as Shnghai cuisine, Shanghai dialect. When you travel in Shanghai later, You will find you're not a complete stranger who knows nothing and just strolls in Shanghai casually and blankly.

You know that compared to other old-line places in China, such as Beijing and Xi'an, Shanghai is just a burgeoning port with more than 100-year modern history. In ancient time, the site of Shanghai is no more than a corner named Songjiang which stood at the entrance of Yangtse River. Seldom did some big events happen there, except that it really was a port for fisherfolk. Not until the end of Second Opium War did Shanghai become such a significant place that a mass of capital, labour, and technology flowed into Shanghai. And then, Shanghai became the second city that saw the prosperity and wealth just later than Guangzhou, while the ancient China was still under the pressure of Qing Dynasty who forbade Chinese to receive knowledge and manufactures of western world. When the whole Chinas was still dominated by agricultural thoughts, Shanghai had begun to develop its own capitalism that certainly made a good foundation for the present achievements.

Until the Liberation of China in 1949,Shanghai always played the most significant role in Chinese economy and culture. Almost every high-tech stuff was first introduced by Shanghai where crowd of merchants gathered there, enjoyed their lives there and accumulated their capital there. Then, you know Shanghai declined because of some reasons. But just temporarily. It still held the most advanced and superior equipment. After the Open Reform, Shanghai shone its passion again and rapidly developed into the flourishing city in China and even in the world.

From now on, let's get to see what there're in Shanghai and how they used to live and live.