China is an amazing country, everything is big, huge here. Suffice it to recall the famous Chinese Wall or the giant cities, and this has always been the case. For example, the history of Shanghai, one of the most famous Chinese cities, can tell about this. It belongs to the largest cities in the world in terms of population, is a financial and cultural center, and a major seaport.
Origins
The date of the city's founding remains a dark page in the history of Shanghai, it is only known that the original settlement belonged to Songjiang County. But very soon the favorable geographical position allowed the region to change its administrative status, to turn into a large settlement and a seaport. Currently Songjiang is just one of the districts of Shanghai.
Of course, Shanghai had competitors. In the 15th century, Lujiagang, also located on the Yangtze River, played the main role in maritime affairs. But the silting up of the river in the area of this settlement and port led to the loss of the first positions, which were immediately occupied by Shanghai.
It is believed that the history of Shanghai as a city in a summary can begin in 1553, when the inhabitants began to build the fortress wall. One of the travelers, Matteo Ricci, notes the importance of this settlement in the economy of the region. But until the end of the 19th century, the city still remained in the shadow of its more eminent rivals.
Century of progress
For Shanghai, the situation changed dramatically in the 19th century, when China finally realized the benefits of trade with the West. The strategic location of the city allowed it to take a leading position - after all, it was located at the mouth of the Yangtze, which means that the goods received by sea could easily get into the interior of the country, to remote Chinese regions.
It was not without wars and coups, for example, the city experienced many terrible events: the Opium Wars, the Taiping uprising, the Japanese-Chinese war, etc. The beginning of the twentieth century for Shanghai was marked by a large influx of Russians who fled from revolutionary Russia. And during the last world war, many refugees from different countries appeared here.
By the middle of the twentieth century, Shanghai has become a major industrial and commercial center, with revenues from local businesses accounting for a significant portion of China's tax revenues. Today, a policy of reducing tax rates is being pursued here, the goal is to attract foreign investments and companies to Shanghai.
