Shanghai & Yangtze River Delta Brief

SHANGHAI

Shanghai, also named "Hu" or "Shen" in short, is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world, with over 20 million people in its extended metropolitan area.1 Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality with province-level status.2

Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and as one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking.3 The city flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business by the 1930s.4 However, Shanghai's prosperity ground to a sharp halt after the 1949 Communist takeover and the subsequent cessation of foreign investment. After being allowed economic reforms in 1990, Shanghai is booming once more with intense development and financing, and in 2005 became the world's largest port.5

The city is an emerging tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as the Bund and Xintiandi, its modern and ever-expanding Pudong6 skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower, and its new reputation as a cosmopolitan center of culture and design.78 Today, Shanghai is an important centre of commerce and finance. One conference paper has referred to it as a future global city9 and the popular press have described it as the "showpiece" of the world's fastest-growing economy10.

Geography and Climate

Shanghai sits on the Yangtze River Delta on China's east coast roughly equidistant between Beijing and Hong Kong. The municipality as a whole consists of a peninsula between the Yangtze and Hangzhou Bay, China's third largest island Chongming, and a number of smaller islands. It is bordered on the north and west by Jiangsu Province, on the south by Zhejiang Province, and on the east by the East China Sea. The city proper is bisected by the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze. The historic center of the city, the Puxi area, is located on the western side of the Huangpu, while the new Pudong financial district has developed on the eastern bank.

The vast majority of Shanghai's 6,218 km2 (2,401 sq mi) land area is flat, apart from a few hills in the southwest corner, with an average elevation of 4 m (13 ft).11 The city's location on the flat alluvial plain has meant that new skyscrapers must be built with deep concrete piles to stop them sinking into the soft ground. The highest point is at the peak of Dajinshan Island at 103 m (340 ft).12 The city has many rivers, canals, streams and lakes and is known for its rich water resources as part of the Taihu drainage area.

Public awareness of the environment is growing, and the city is investing in a number of environmental protection projects. A 10-year, US$1 billion cleanup of Suzhou Creek, which runs through the city center, is expected to be finished in 2008,13 and the government also provides incentives for transportation companies to invest in LPG buses and taxis. Air pollution in Shanghai is low compared to other Chinese cities such as Beijing, but the rapid development over the past decades means it is still high on worldwide standards, comparable to Los Angeles.14

Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa) and experiences four distinct seasons. In winter, cold northerly winds from Siberia can cause nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing, and although not usually associated with snow, the city can receive one or two days of snowfall per year. In contrast, and in spite of being the peak tourist season, summer in Shanghai is very warm and humid, with occasional downpours or freak thunderstorms. The city is also susceptible to typhoons, none of which in recent years has caused considerable damage.15 The most pleasant seasons are Spring, although changeable, and Autumn, which is generally sunny and dry.

Economy

Shanghai is often regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China. Modern development began with the economic reforms in 1992, a decade later than many of the Southern Chinese provinces, but since then Shanghai quickly overtook those provinces and maintained its role as the business center in mainland China. Shanghai also hosts the largest share market in mainland China.

Shanghai has one of the world's busiest ports. In 2005, Shanghai ranked first of the world's busiest ports in terms of cargo throughout, handling a total of 443 million tons of cargo. In terms of container traffic, it just surpassed Hong Kong to become the second busiest port in the world, behind Singapore.16

Shanghai and Hong Kong are rivaling to be the economic center of the Greater China region. Hong Kong has the advantage of a stronger legal system, international market integration, superior economic freedom, greater banking and service expertise, lower taxes, and a fully-convertible currency[citation needed]. Shanghai has stronger links to both the Chinese interior and the central government, and a stronger base in manufacturing and technology. Shanghai has increased its role in finance, banking, and as a major destination for corporate headquarters, fueling demand for a highly educated and modernized workforce. Shanghai has recorded a double-digit growth for 15 consecutive years since 1992. In 2007, Shanghai's nominal GDP posted a 13.3% growth to 1.2 trillion yuan. The Shanghai Stock Exchange is the world's fastest growing, with the Shanghai Composite Index growing 130% in 2006.17

As in many other areas in China, Shanghai is undergoing a building boom. In Shanghai the modern architecture is notable for its unique style, especially in the highest floors, with several top floor restaurants which resemble flying saucers.

The bulk of Shanghai buildings being constructed today are high-rise apartments of various height, color and design. There is now a strong focus by city planners to develop more "green areas" (public parks) among the apartment complexes in order to improve the quality of life for Shanghai's residents, quite in accordance to the "Better City - Better Life" theme of Shanghai's Expo 2010.18

Demographics

The 2000 census put the population of Shanghai Municipality at 16.738 million, including the migrant population, which made up 3.871 million. Since the 1990 census the total population had increased by 3.396 million, or 25.5%. Males accounted for 51.4%, females for 48.6% of the population. 12.2% were in the age group of 0¨C14, 76.3% between 15 and 64 and 11.5% were older than 65. 5.4% of the inhabitants were illiterate. As of 2007, the population of long-term residents reached 18.45 million, including an officially registered population of 13.68 million, and 4.67 million migrants from other provinces, mostly from Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang Provinces. In addition, there are a large number of immigrants from Taiwan (estimates vary from 250,000 to 500,000). The average life expectancy in 2006 was 80.97 years, 78.67 for men and 82.29 for women.19

YANGTZE RIVER DELTA

The Yangtze River Delta or Yangtze Delta, also called Chang Jiang Delta, or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze, generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of China. The area lies at the heart of the region traditionally called Jiangnan (literally, "south of the Yangtze River"). The Yangtze river drains into the East China Sea. In modern times the area is home to an economy the size of a medium-sized developed country, encompassing a GDP (when measured to purchasing power parity) of some $2 Trillion US, which is 21% of the national economy (about the size of that of France, 2,046,899 MM$ in 2007 according to the International Monetary Fund). The urban build-up in the area has given rise to the Yangtze Delta Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in China, with an area of 99600 km2, it is home to over 80 million people as of 2007, of which an estimated 50 million are urban.

Population

The delta is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, and includes one of the world's largest cities on its banks - Shanghai, with a density of 2,700 inhabitants/km2. Because of the large population of the delta, and factories, farms, and other cities upriver, the World Wide Fund for Nature says the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause of marine pollution in the Pacific Ocean.

The area of the Yangtze Delta incorporates twenty relatively developed municipalities in three provinces. The term can be generally used to refer to the entire region extending as far north as Lianyungang, Jiangsu and as far south as Taizhou, Zhejiang. The region includes some of the fastest-growing economies in China in recent years, and as of 2004 has occupied over 21% of China's total gross GDP.20

Metropolitan Area

After the Chinese economic reform program, which began in 1978, Shanghai again became the most important economic center in mainland China, and is emerging to become one of Asia's centres for commerce. In modern times, the Yangtze Delta metropolitan area centred at Shanghai, and also flanked by the major urban centres of Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, and Nanjing, home to nearly 90 million people (of which an estimated 80 million are urban residents), is the center of Chinese economic development, and surpasses all other major metropolitan regions (including the Pearl River Delta) in the People's Republic of China in terms of economic growth, productivity and per capita income. In the future the area may well evolve into the largest megacity in the world in terms of population.

Cities
  • Urban cores: Shanghai, Nanjing,21 Hangzhou,22 Suzhou, Ningbo
  • Jiangsu Province:23 Suzhou (including county-level urban centres of Changshu, Taicang, Kunshan, and Zhangjiagang), Wuxi (including county-level urban centers of Yixing and Jiangyin), Nantong (including County-level urban cores of Qidong and Tongzhou), Changzhou, Zhenjiang (including county-level urban centre of Danyang), Yangzhou, Taizhou
  • Zhejiang Province:24 Hangzhou's county-level urban centres of Jiande, Fuyang and Lin'an; Ningbo (including county-level urban centre of Cixi), Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Zhoushan, Taizhou, Jinhua (including urban centre of Yiwu)
  • In addition, the Shanghai districts of Minhang, Jinshan, Jiading and Pudong, although nominally "districts", are all municipal-level in administration (Pudong is sub-provincial in administrative status), and all have de facto separate urban planning systems.

Transportation

The area is home to a very extensive transportation network that include railways and expressways. The area has one of the highest private vehicle ownership rates in the country, and traffic rules governing Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang are relatively strict compared to the rest of the country.

The region is served by some of the country's largest seaports:

  • Port of Shanghai, sea & river, the world's largest cargo port in 2005
  • Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, sea & river, the world's 4th largest cargo port in 2005
  • Port of Lianyungang, sea port
  • Port of Suzhou, river & lake
  • Port of Wenzhou, sea & river

The region has five major airports, whose area of coverage is generally around an-hour's drive's length from any point of the Delta. They include:

  • Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport, hub of Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern Airlines; the two airports combined serve the heaviest air traffic flow in China
  • Nanjing Lukou International Airport, situated in Nanjing, Jiangsu
  • Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, situated in Hangzhou, Zhejiang
  • Ningbo Lishe International Airport, situated in Ningbo, Zhejiang

Main bridges:

  • Donghai Bridge, Shanghai-Zhejiang, 32.5km, the world's longest sea-cross bridge
  • Hangzhou Bay Bridge, Ningbo-Shanghai, 36km
  • Runyang Bridge
  • Jiangyin Suspension Bridge
  • Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
  • Lupu Bridge, Puxi-Pudong

Notes

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Shanghai World Financial Center & Jin Mao Tower

Shanghai World Financial Center (left) & Jin Mao Tower (right), are landmark supertall skyscrapers in the Lujiazui area of the Pudong district of Shanghai

Shanghai Stock Exchange

Shanghai Stock Exchange, with a market capitalization of nearly US$3.02 trillion (2007) making it the largest in mainland China and fifth largest in the world

Shanghai Maglev Train

Shanghai Maglev Train, the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world

Hangzhou Bay Bridge

Hangzhou Bay Bridge, 35.673 kilometres (22 mi) long with six expressway lanes in two directions, was linked up on June 14, 2007 and connects Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang Province