33 minute read

Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation Business Information, Profile, and History

Fujin Lu-Baoshan District, Guoyuan, Changqian Zhonglu
Shanghai
201900
China

Company Perspectives:

Baosteel follows its "premium products" strategy and aims to become the prime research and development base for new processes, new technologies and new materials in China's iron and steel industry.

History of Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation

Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation is the Chinese government-owned holding company for a group of steel, steel products, and steel trading companies, which themselves operate under the publicly listed flagship Shanghai Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. Shanghai Baosteel is China's leading steel producer: In 2005, the company's annual output topped 20 million tons, and the company expects to double that by 2010. As such, the company dominates the Chinese steel industry, controlling some 10 percent of the total market, and ranks among the world's top steel producers. Shanghai Baosteel focuses on the production of steel plate and steel tubing. The company produces high-grade steel for the automobile, shipbuilding, pipeline, household appliance, and other sectors, primarily for the domestic market. The company's steel is also used for tool & die equipment, springs and bearings, and for the aerospace and commercial aviation industries. Shanghai Baosteel has begun investing in developing new steel production technologies, in part in an effort to win a greater share of the international automobile market. The company is a major supplier to international automakers such as Fiat. Shanghai Iron & Steel Co. operates the largest and most modern facility in China, accounting for more than half of the group's total production. Other companies in the group include Baosteel Shanghai No. 1 Iron & Steel Co., which produces premium stainless steel, among other products; Pudong Steel Corporation, a plate producer; and No. 5 Steel Corporation, a specialty steel products producer. Shanghai Baosteel also has interests in mining, particularly coal mining, both in China and abroad. The company's sales and distribution are handled through subsidiary Shanghai Baosteel International Economic & Trading Corporation Ltd., which operates a marketing network throughout China and in ten countries internationally. Shanghai Baosteel is led by President and Chairwoman Xie Qihua.

Founding a Modern Steel Giant in the 1970s

Prior to the early 1950s, China's iron and steel industry remained undeveloped in large part, with very few plants in operation. The first (and only) modern steel plant had been built by the Japanese in Anshan soon after World War I, and this complex eventually featured nine blast furnaces. Yet total production never topped one million tons. The Anshan complex was mostly destroyed during World War II, and again during the Chinese civil war, and its equipment and machinery were appropriated by the departing Soviets.

With the creation of the People's Republic of China, the country made a new effort to develop an industrial infrastructure. The central government began investing in the construction of new steel plants, for the most part based on Soviet designs and technology. The Anshan complex was rebuilt, and eventually reached a total output of seven million tons. Another large facility was built at Wuhan in the early 1950s. Many small, but modern, steel plants were constructed during this period. At the same time, many local and regional governments began installing a large number of so-called "backyard" furnaces for the production of pig iron. The period launched by the Great Leap Forward saw a dramatic increase in the country's steel output.

The Chinese steel industry collapsed again into the 1960s, in part because the overworking of the country's larger furnaces forced them to be shut down. By 1961, production had dropped to half of its total from the year before. The government began an effort to centralize control of the steel industry, shutting down many of the smaller plants and importing new technology from Austria, Japan, and elsewhere.

The steel industry remained linked to the political situation in the country, with output rising in periods of relative stability, such as the early 1960s, and dropping back during crisis times such as the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s and the political battles of the post-Mao era. Nonetheless, steel remained an essential component of China's effort to modernize its industrial and economic infrastructure. By 1979, the country's total output topped 34 million tons. Into the 1980s, the country boasted 13 plants capable of producing more than one million tons annually. In addition, some 800 small-scale plants remained in operation.

The Chinese government began instituting economic reforms at the end of the 1970s in an effort to move beyond the disastrous policies of the Great Leap Forward era. Steel continued to play a central role in the government's plans. At the end of the 1970s, the government set a total domestic production target of 80 million tons per year to be reached by the end of the 1980s. For the most part, the government sought to refurbish and modernize its existing plants, including an effort to improve fuel efficiency at the predominantly coal-burning sites.

Yet the new reform era, which, under Deng Xiaoping, began opening the Chinese economy to the foreign market in the late 1970s, also called for the creation of a new, large-scale integrated steel works at Baoshan, near the Shanghai port. The project was developed in close collaboration with the Japanese; indeed, the site was meant to be an exact copy of an existing plant in Kimitsu, operated by Nippon Steel. That plant was considered at the time to be the world's most modern steel facility.

Construction on the new site, which later boasted a total output of 20 million tons, began in 1978. The initial completion date was scheduled for 1982. A series of delays, however, set the commissioning of the facility back to 1985, and then to 1988. From the start, the facility, called Baoshan Iron & Steel Corporation, benefited from its special status as the Chinese government's steel industry flagship. As such, the facility took on the country's best engineers and managers, including Xie Qihua, who joined the company in 1978 and later emerged as its chairwoman. Whereas the country's existing steel plants were burdened by outmoded and inefficient equipment, and forced to produce unprofitable and low-grade steel products, Baoshan was designed from the start to incorporate cutting-edge technology and to produce highly profitable specialty steels.

The company's privileged position also put it first in line for a number of important contracts. In 1989, for example, Baoshan Iron & Steel became the primary supplier to another Chinese government flagship, Shanghai Automotive Industry Group Corporation. The company continued to win important contracts through the 1990s and into the 2000s, such as for the 4,200-kilometer West-East Natural Gas Pipeline, which launched construction in 2003. Baoshan became responsible for producing more than 60 percent of the steel for that massive project.

Becoming a World Leader in the 2000s

China's extraordinary growth during the late 1980s and through the 1990s quickly outpaced its steel production. The country was forced to turn to foreign markets for a significant percentage of its steel and iron needs. Baoshan Iron & Steel, meanwhile, emerged as an important supplier to China's infrastructure projects. As such, the company's production remained entirely focused on the domestic market.

Into the late 1990s, however, Baoshan began to feel the heat from a new generation of competitors. Continued economic reforms had opened up the steel industry to a variety of new players, which established their own modern steel production plants throughout the country. By the mid-2000s, there were more than 4,000 steel producers in China, and the country's total output now topped the world at 200 million tons. Yet even these levels could not keep up with the surge in China's economy during this period, and steel imports remained an important force in the domestic steel market.

In order to retain its leadership in this new marketplace, Baoshan began reorganizing at the end of the 1990s. Leading this effort was Xie Qihua, who was named the company's general manager in 1994. Xie began seeking alliances with other Chinese steel industry companies, as well as strengthening Baoshan's marketing and distribution operations. As such, in 1996 the company added a new trading component, Baosteel Group International Trade Corporation (BGITC), originally founded in 1985. That operation extended its marketing network throughout China, before adding offices in more than ten countries worldwide. The addition of BGITC helped extend Baoshan's production to the export market, with Korea becoming a major customer for the company.

Baoshan changed its name to Baosteel Iron & Steel Corporation at the beginning of 1998, in preparation for its proposed merger with Shanghai Metallurgical Group Corporation. That government-owned company boasted a payroll of some 120,000, compared with Baosteel's 10,000. Yet Shanghai Metallurgical was losing money, a situation the Chinese government hoped to turn around by merging it into profitable Baosteel.

The collapse of the Asian region economies during the crisis of the late 1990s threatened to derail the merger plans. Baosteel's profits faded quickly, as its revenues dived and its export markets disappeared. Yet by the end of 1998, the merger went through, becoming a three-way merger with the addition of another Shanghai-based steel producer, Shanghai Meishan Group Co. Ltd. The enlarged business then changed its name to Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation, with the former Baoshan taking the lead of the new company. Baosteel now claimed the position as China's largest integrated steel works, with total annual production of nearly 20 million tons and assets of CNY 100 billion.

Baosteel began testing the public market in the late 1990s, listing four subsidiaries on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in limited offerings that remained off-limits for foreign investors. Yet China's decision to join the World Trade Organization--opening up the country and its steel industry to full-fledged foreign competition for the first time--placed new pressure on Baosteel. To remain competitive, Baosteel recognized that it needed to develop its international operations.

As part of that effort, the company reorganized into a listing vehicle, Shanghai Baosteel Iron & Steel, under parent company Shanghai Baosteel Group. In December 2000, Shanghai Baosteel listed its shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Although the listing remained restricted to domestic investors, it became China's largest ever public offering, raising some CNY 7.7 billion. The listing set the stage for a later international listing, most likely on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which would open the company's capital to foreign investors.

The listing of Shanghai Baosteel was seen as proof of the Chinese government's commitment to economic reform, especially as it placed a significant share of its flagship steel company, known by some as the Chinese steel industry's "aircraft carrier," on the public market. The listing provided capital for Baosteel's investment program, enabling it to step up its technology and boost its production. The listing also signaled a significant change in corporate culture. As Xie expressed it to the South China Morning Post: "It will make us more of a market-driven company." Xie herself was named president and chairwoman of both the publicly listed company and its government-owned parent.

Baosteel now began strengthening its position through a number of strategic alliances. In 2001, for example, the company entered a union with Shougang Group and Wuhan Iron and Steel Group Corporation. That alliance allowed Baosteel to claim the spot as the world's third largest integrated steel company. In that year, also, the company found a new technological partner in ThyssenKrupp of Germany, when the two companies launched the first phase of a new Shanghai-based stainless steel production partnership. Also in 2001, Baosteel was chosen as a primary supplier of steel to Italy's Fiat, marking a major step forward in Baosteel's efforts to become a supplier to the global automotive industry.

In 2003, Baosteel launched an acquisition drive worth some $270 million, which included the acquisitions of Lubao Steel Pipe Corporation and Baogang Yichang Steel Sheets Corporation. Baosteel previously had held significant stakes in both companies, which had nonetheless continued to compete with Baosteel. In that year, also, Baosteel set up a strategic partnership with Shanghai Automotive Industry Group, seen as an important move in the integration of the country's steel and automotive industries.

Into the mid-decade, Baosteel announced an ambitious new growth target--the doubling of its production capacity in order to claim the position as the world's top steel producer by 2010. In early 2005, the company took a step toward achieving that goal when it received approval to begin construction on a new 20-million-ton facility in Zhanjiang City, in Guangdong province. The integrated steelworks, expected to cost some $10 billion, was expected to launch production by the end of the decade. As part of its growth strategy, Baosteel reaffirmed its intention to launch a global public offering, most likely before the end of 2005. That offering would mean a coming of age for Baosteel, which already had claimed its place among the world's top steel groups.

Principal Subsidiaries: Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.; Baosteel Group Shanghai Meishan Co., Ltd.; Baosteel Group Shanghai No.1 Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.; Baosteel Group Shanghai No.5 Steel Co., Ltd.; Baosteel Group Shanghai Pudong Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.; Ningbo Baoxin Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Baosteel International Economic & Trading Corporation Ltd.

Principal Competitors: Libyan Iron and Steel Co; Capital Iron-Steel Company General; Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group Co.; C Grossmann Eisen- u Stahlwerk AG; Chongqing Special Steel Group Company Ltd.; Forjas de Santa Clara C.A.; Cargill Inc.; Xinyu Steel and Iron Plant General of Jiangxi; Krivorozhstal; Aceros Chile S.A.; ThyssenKrupp AG; Arcelor S.A.; China Steel Corporation; Nippon Steel Corporation; POSCO.

Related information about Shanghai

31°13N 121°25E; pop (2000e) 9 158 000, administrative region 13 876 000; municipality area 5800 km²/2239 sq mi. Port in E China, on the Yellow Sea, on Huangpu and Wusong Rivers; largest city in China; developed in the Yuan period as a cotton centre; trading centre in the 17th–18th-c; opened to foreign trade, 1842, and developed as the principal centre for European influence in China; by the 1940s, world's fifth largest port; Japanese occupation, 1937–45; power centre of Jiang Qing in the Cultural Revolution, 1966–76; two airports; two airfields; rail and sea links to other cities; university (1895) and several other higher education institutions; oil refining, shipbuilding, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, paper, publishing; People's Park, People's Square, Jade Buddha Temple (1882), Industrial Exhibition Hall, Museum of Natural History, Songjiang County Square Pagoda and Dragon Wall (11th-c), Longhua Temple (c.7th-c); Yu Yuan (Garden of Happiness), 1577, the basis for ‘willow pattern’ chinaware.

otheruses

Shanghai (??)
A section of Shanghai's Pudong

Location in the People's Republic of China
Basic Information
Origin of name: ? Sh?n
Area: 6,340.5 km² (31st)
Population(2004): 17,420,000 (25th) Municipality
9,838,000 Urban Area, 2001 est.
Density(2004): 2750/km² (1st) Municipality
GDP (2004):
 - per capita		 CNY 745.0 billion (7th)
CNY 42,800 (1st)
HDI (2005)
 0.909 (1st) — high
Major nationalities (2000): Han - 99%
Hui - 0.4%
City flower: Yulan magnolia
(Magnolia denudata)
Elevation: 0 - 103.4 m
Coordinates: 31|10|N|121|28|E|type:city(3,390,444)}}
Postal code: 200000 - 202100
Area code: +86/21
License plate prefixes : ?A, B, D, E
?C (outer suburbs)
ISO 3166-2: cn-31
Time zone: UTC+8
Website: www.shanghai.gov.cn
Government
Administration Type: Municipality
CPCshanghai
Committee Secretary:		 Han Zheng (acting)
Mayor: Han Zheng
County-level divisions: 18 Districts and 1 County
Township-level divisions: 220 Towns and Villages



Shanghai (; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the People's Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world. Administratively, Shanghai is a municipality of the People's Republic of China that has province-level status.

Originally a sleepy fishing town, Shanghai became China's most important city by the 20th century and was the centre of popular culture, vice, intellectual discourse and political intrigue during the Republic of China. Shanghai once became the third largest financial centre in the world, ranking after New York City and London, and the largest commercial city in the Far East in the late 19th century and early 20th century. After the communist takeover in 1949, Shanghai languished under heavy central government taxation and much of its bourgeois elements were purged. Following the central government's authorization of market-economic redevelopment of Shanghai in 1992, Shanghai quickly surpassed early-starters Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and has since led China's economic growth.

History

Pre-19th century

Before the formation of Shanghai city, Shanghai was part of Songjiang county (???), governed by Suzhou prefecture (???). From the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Shanghai gradually became a busy seaport, outgrowing its political jurisdictions (for instance, Songjiang (??) today is one of 18 districts within Shanghai).
A city wall was built in AD 1553, which is generally regarded as the beginning of the city of Shanghai. Before the 19th century, Shanghai was not a major city, so in contrast to other major Chinese cities today, there are fewer ancient Chinese landmarks to be found in Shanghai. However, the few cultural landmarks in Shanghai are very ancient and typically date to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, because present-day Shanghai is within the historic cultural center of the Wu Kingdom (222-280).

During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai became an important port regionally for the Yangtze and Huangpu rivers and a sea port for the nearby Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, although overseas commerce was still forbidden at that time. In the later years of the Qianlong era, Shiliupu (???), now in Huangpu District, was already the largest port in East Asia.

19th to early 20th century

The importance of Shanghai grew radically in the 19th century, as the city's strategic position at the mouth of the Yangtze River made it an ideal location for trade with the West.

During the First Opium War in the early-19th century, British forces temporarily held Shanghai. The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, which saw the treaty ports, Shanghai included, opened for international trade. The Treaty of the Bogue signed in 1843, and the Sino-American Treaty of Wangsia signed in 1844 together saw foreign nations achieve extraterritoriality on Chinese soil, which officially lasted until 1943 but was essentially defunct by the late 1930s. From the twenties to the late 30s Shanghai was a so-called 'sin city'. Gangsters wielded a great deal of power and ran casinos and brothels.

The Taiping Rebellion broke out in 1850, and in 1853 Shanghai was occupied by a triad offshoot of the rebels, called the Small Swords Society. This period saw a large influx of migrants from Europe and North America, who called themselves "Shanghighlanders".

The Sino-Japanese War fought 1894-95 over control of Korea concluded with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which saw Japan emerge as an additional foreign power in Shanghai. Under the Republic of China, Shanghai was made a special city in 1927, and a municipality in May 1930. The Japanese Navy bombed Shanghai on January 28, 1932, nominally in an effort to crush down Chinese student protests of the Manchurian Incident and the subsequent Japanese occupation. The two sides fought to a standstill and a ceasefire was brokered in May. In the Second Sino-Japanese War, the city fell after the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, and was occupied until Japan's surrender in 1945.

During World War II

During World War II, Shanghai was a centre for refugees from Europe. However, under pressure from their Nazi allies, the Japanese ghettoised the Jewish refugees in late 1941 in what came to be known as the Shanghai ghetto, and hunger and infectious diseases such as amoebic dysentery became rife.

Communist rule

On May 27, 1949, Shanghai came under communist control and was one of the only two former Republic of China (ROC) municipalities not merged into neighbouring provinces over the next decade (the other being Beijing). During the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai became an industrial center and center for revolutionary leftism. Shanghai was not permitted to initiate economic reforms until 1991.

Political power in Shanghai has traditionally been seen as a stepping stone to higher positions within the PRC central government.In the 1990s, there was what was often described as the politically right-of-center "Shanghai clique," which included the president of the PRC Jiang Zemin and the premier of the PRC Zhu Rongji. Starting in 1992, the central government under Jiang Zemin, a former Mayor of Shanghai, began reducing the tax burden on Shanghai and encouraging both foreign and domestic investment in order to promote it as the economic hub of East Asia and to encourage its role as gateway of investment to the Chinese interior. Many of China's top government officials in Beijing are known to have risen in Shanghai in the 1980s on a platform that was critical of the extreme leftism of the Cultural Revolution, giving them the tag "Shanghai Clique" during the 1990s. Four Shanghai mayors eventually went on to take prominent Central Government positions, including former President Jiang Zemin and former Premier Zhu Rongji. The top administrative jobs are always appointed directly by the Central Government.

The current Shanghai government under Mayor Han Zheng has openly advocated transparency in the city's government.

Administration


Shanghai is administratively equal to a province and is divided into 19 county-level divisions: 18 districts and 1 county. Prominent central business areas include Lujiazui on the east bank of the Huangpu River, and The Bund and Hongqiao areas in the west bank of the Huangpu River. The city hall and major administration units are located in Huangpu District, which also serve as a commercial area, including the famous Nanjing Road. Other major commercial areas include the classy Xintiandi and Huaihai Road in Luwan district and Xujiahui in Xuhui District. Many universities in Shanghai are located in residential areas of Yangpu District and Putuo District.

Nine of the districts govern Puxi (literally West Bank), or the older part of urban Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River. Q?)

Pudong (East Bank), or the newer part of urban and suburban Shanghai on the east bank of the Huangpu River, is governed by:

  • Pudong New District (???? Chuansha County until 1992

Eight of the districts govern suburbs, satellite towns, and rural areas further away from the urban core:

  • Baoshan District (??? Baoshan County until 1988
  • Minhang District (??? Shanghai County until 1992
  • Jiading District (??? Jiading County until 1992
  • Jinshan District (??? Jinshan County until 1997
  • Songjiang District (??? Songjiang County until 1998
  • Qingpu District (??? Qingpu County until 1999
  • Nanhui District (??? Nanhui County until 2001
  • Fengxian District (??? Fengxian County until 2001Chongming Island, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze, is governed by:
  • Chongming County (??? Chóngmíng Xiàn)

As of 2003, these county-level divisions are further divided into the following 220 township-level divisions: 114 towns, 3 townships, 103 subdistricts. Those are in turn divided into the following village-level divisions: 3,393 neighborhood committees and 2,037 village committees.

List of towns:

  • Anting, Jiading District
  • Huamu, Pudong New District
  • Pengpu, Zhabei District
  • Beicai, Pudong New District
  • Qibao, Minhang District
  • Sheshan, Songjiang District
  • Sijing, Songjiang District
  • Nanqiao, Fengxian District
  • Xinzhuang, Minhang District
  • Jiangwan, Yangpu District

Economy and demographics

Shanghai is often regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China. In terms of container traffic, it is the third busiest port in the world, following Singapore and Hong Kong.

The 2000 census put the population of Shanghai Municipality to 16.738 million, including the floating population, which made up 3.871 million. however, more than 5 million more people work and live in Shanghai undocumented, and of the 5 million, some 4 million belong to the floating population of temporary migrant workers, a large proportion of whom are from Anhui Province as well as Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. The average life expectancy in 2003 was 79.80 years, 77.78 for men and 81.81 for women.
Shanghai and Hong Kong have had a recent rivalry over which city is to be the economic center of China. Hong Kong on the other hand, possessed an unparalleled GDP of ¥310,021 (ca. Hong Kong has the advantage of a stronger legal system, international market integration, superior economic freedom, greater banking and service expertise. Shanghai has stronger links to both the Chinese interior and the central government, in addition to a stronger base in manufacturing and technology. For a gallery of these unique architecure designs, see Shanghai (architecture images).

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 increase the quality of life for Shanghai's residents, quite in accordance to the "Better City - Better Life" theme of Shanghai's Expo 2010.

Geography and climate

Shanghai faces the East China Sea (part of the Pacific Ocean), and is bisected by the Huangpu River. Puxi contains the city proper on the western side of Huangpu River, while an entirely new financial district has been erected on the eastern bank of the Huangpu in Pudong.

Geographical coordinates:

Shanghai experiences all four seasons, with freezing temperatures during the winter season and a 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) average high during the hottest months of July and August. The city has a few Typhoon spells during the year, none of which in recent years have caused considerable damage.

Astronomical phenomena

The previous total solar eclipse to be seen from the center of Shanghai occurred on May 10, 1575.

The next total solar eclipse that will be seen from Shanghai will be solar eclipse of 2009-Jul-22.

Wikisource has an article about solar eclipses as seen from Shanghai from 2001 to 3000. wikisource.org/wiki/Solar_eclipses_as_seen_from_Shanghai

Media

Shanghai is served by television and radio stations that are owned and operated by the Shanghai Media Group. The list of radio stations are shown as follows:

  • Shanghai Television Stations:
    • Dragon TV
    • China Business Network
    • STV-News
    • STV-Life&Fashion
    • STV-TV Drama
    • STV-Sports
    • STV-Documentary
    • OTV-News&Entertainment
    • OTV-Arts
    • OTV-Music
    • OTV-Drama + Oriental CJ Shopping
    • OTV-Kids
    • Eastern Movie
    • Toonmax

Also, CCTV serves as the national network.

  • Shanghai Radio Stations
Frequency/Internet
 Description
990 AM
 News
648 AM
 Traffic
1296 AM
 Eastern China Regional News
792 AM
 Shanghai Local News
101.7 FM
 Popular Music
103.7 FM
 Love Music
94.7 FM
 Classical Music
97.7 FM
 Economic/Business News
96.8 FM
 Comedy Channel
1197 AM
 Marine Channel
94.0 FM
 Sports News


Transportation


Shanghai has an extensive public transportation system, largely based on buses, and a rapidly expanding metro system.

Shanghai has the world's most extensive bus system with nearly one thousand bus lines .

Shanghai has two airports: Hongqiao and Pudong International, which has the second highest (combined) traffic in China, following Hong Kong International Airport. (SMT), German Transrapid constructed the first commercial maglev railway in the world in 2002, from Shanghai's Longyang Road subway station to Pudong International Airport. The 30km trip takes 7 minutes and 21 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 431 km/h (267.8 miles per hour).

As of December 2005, Shanghai's port, including the newly opened Yangshan deep water port (?????), is the largest in the world. What is currently longest cross-sea bridge of the world, the Donghai Bridge (????) with a total length 32.5km, links Shanghai on the mainland to the Yangshan islands.
Two railways intersect in Shanghai: Jinghu Railway (Beijing-Shanghai) Railway passing through Nanjing (???), and Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway (??? Shanghai has two main railway stations, Shanghai Railway Station and Shanghai South Railway Station. A maglev train route to Hangzhou (Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train ??????) will begin construction in 2006 and is planned to be finished in 2008. Tunnels and bridges are used to link Puxi to Pudong.

Culture

Language

The vernacular language is Shanghainese, a dialect of Wu Chinese; The Shanghainese dialect today is a mixture of standard Wu Chinese as spoken in Suzhou, with the dialects of Ningbo and other nearby regions whose peoples have migrated to Shanghai in large numbers since the 20th Century.

Nearly all Shanghainese under the age of 40 can speak Mandarin fluently. Haipai) is a very important Chinese school of traditional arts during the Qing Dynasty and the whole of 20th century. The most well-known figures from this school are Ren Xiong (??), Ren Yi (???), Zhao Zhiqian (???), Wu Changshuo (???), Sha Menghai (???, calligraphist), Pan Tianshou (???), Fu Baoshi (???). It was also the intellectual battleground between socialist writers who concentrated on critical realism (pioneered by Lu Xun and Mao Dun) and the more "bourgeois", more romantically and aesthetically inclined writers (such as Shi Zhecun, Shao Xunmei, Ye Lingfeng, Eileen Chang). Another film star, Jiang Qing, went on to become Madame Mao Zedong. Nearly all registered Shanghainese residents are descendants of immigrants from the two adjacent provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang who moved to Shanghai in the late 19th and the early 20th Century. The Revolution was a humbling experience for Shanghai as a whole, as it was brought into line by the Communist regime, whose ideology favoured grass-root agriculture and industry, and opposed bourgeois excesses, which Shanghai stood for in the eyes of many.

Shikumen

One uniquely Shanghainese cultural element is the shikumen (???) residences, which are two or three-story townhouses, with the front yard protected by a high brick wall. The whole resembles terrace houses or townhouses commonly seen in Anglo-American countries, but distinguished by the tall, heavy brick wall in front of each house. Many of these were hastily built and were akin to slums, while others were of sturdier construction and featured all modern amenities such as the flush toilet.

During and after World War II, massive population increases in Shanghai led many shikumen houses to be heavily subdivided.

Cultural sites

  • The Bund
  • Shanghai Museum
  • Shanghai Grand Theatre
  • Yuyuan Gardens
  • Jing'an Temple, first built during the Three Kingdoms period
  • Longhua temple, largest temple in Shanghai, also built during the Three Kingdoms period
  • Jade Buddha Temple
  • Xujiahui Cathedral, largest Catholic cathedral in Shanghai
  • Dongjiadu Cathedral
  • She Shan Cathedral
  • The Orthodox Eastern Church
  • Xiaodaoyuan (Mini-Peach Orchard) Mosque
  • Songjiang Mosque
  • Ohel Rachel Synagogue
  • Lu Xun Memorial
  • Shikumen site of the First CPC Congress
  • Residence of Sun Yat-sen
  • Residence of Chiang Kai-shek
  • Shanghai residence of Qing Dynasty Viceroy and General Li Hongzhang
  • Ancient rivertowns of Zhujiajiao and Zhouzhuang on the outskirts of Shanghai
  • Wen Miao Market
  • Yunnan Road
  • Flowers and birds: Jiang yi lu market
  • Cheongsam: Chang le lu Cheongsam Street
  • Curio Market: Dong Tai Lu Curio Market
  • Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe

Colleges and universities

Shanghai is home to many of China's top and oldest universities.

National

  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University (??????) (founded in 1896)
    • Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (formerly Shanghai Second Medical University, founded in 1896) (?????????, ?????????)
  • Fudan University (????) (founded in 1905)
    • Fudan University Shanghai Medical College (formerly Shanghai Medical University, founded in 1927) (?????????, ???????????
  • Tongji University (????) (founded in 1907)
  • East China Normal University (??????)
  • Shanghai Maritime University (??????)
  • Shanghai University (????)
  • Second Military Medical University (??????)
  • East China University of Science and Technology (??????)
  • East China University of Politics and Law (??????)
  • Donghua University (????)
  • Shanghai International Studies University (???????)
  • Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (??????)
  • China Europe International Business School (????????)

Public

  • Shanghai Normal University (??????)
  • Shanghai Conservatory of Music (??????)
  • Shanghai Theater Academy (??????)
  • Shanghai University of Electric Power (??????)
  • University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (??????)
  • Shanghai University of Engineering Sciences (????????)
  • Shanghai Institute of Technology (????????)
  • Shanghai Fisheries University (??????)
  • Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade (????????)
  • Shanghai Institute of Physical Education (??????)
  • Shanghai Lixin University of Commerce (????????)
  • Shanghai Sencond Polytechnic University (????????)

Private

  • Shanda University (??????)

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Media portrayals

Literature

  • Han Bangqing (???), The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai ((zh-tp|t=???????|p=Haishang Hua Liezhuan)), a novel following the lives of Shanghainese sing-song girls (courtesans who sing, dance and may provide sexual services) and the timeless decadence surrounding them. The novel was first published in 1892 during the last two decades of the Qing Dynasty, with the dialogue completely in vernacular Wu Chinese (Shanghainese). The highly popular novel set a precedent for modern Chinese literature and was later translated into Mandarin and English by Eileen Chang.
  • Besides Eileen Chang, other Shanghainese "petit bourgeois" writers in the first half of twentieth century: Shi Zhecun, Liu Na'ou and Mu Shiyang, Shao Xunmei and Ye Lingfeng.
  • Mao Dun, a socialist writer and playwright, is famous for his Ziye, set in Shanghai.
  • Ba Jin, one of the most renowned Chinese writer of the last century, lived and worked in Shanghai, and set some of his works in the city.
  • Lu Xun, regarded as the leading leftist voice in pre-1949 Shanghai, lived and worked in Shanghai.
  • One of the great Chinese novels of the twentieth century, Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged is partially set in Shanghai and has mostly Shanghainese characters.
  • Noel Coward wrote his novel Private Lives while staying at Shanghai's Cathay Hotel.
  • André Malraux, La Condition Humaine, 1933 (Man's Fate, 1934), a novel about the failed communist revolution that took place in Shanghai in 1927 and the existential choices the losers have to face. Malraux won the 1933 Prix Goncourt of literature for the novel.
  • Tom Bradby's 2002 historical detective novel The Master of Rain is set in the Shanghai of 1926.
  • Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel The Diamond Age is set in an ultra-capitalist Shanghai of the future.

Films

  • Code 46 (2003), directed by Michael Winterbottom, starring Tim Robbins
  • Le Drame de Shanghaï (1938), directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, filmed in France and in Saigon
  • Eighteen Springs (Bansheng yuan, 1998), directed by Ann Hui On-wah
  • Empire of the Sun (1987), directed by Steven Spielberg
  • Everlasting Regret (2005), directed by Stanley Kwan
  • Fearless (2006), directed by Ronny Yu, starring Jet Li
  • Fist of Legend (Jingwu yingxiong, 1994), action movie starring Jet Li, a remake of Fist of Fury
  • Flowers of Shanghai (Haishang hua, 1998), directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien
  • Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), in which Anguirus attacks the city and destroys the Oriental Pearl Tower
  • Kung Fu Hustle (Gongfu, 2004), directed by Stephen Chow
  • Lust, Caution, directed by Ang Lee and based on the novel by Eileen Chang
  • Mission Impossible 3 (2006), starring Tom Cruise
  • The Painted Veil (2006, in production), starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts
  • Perhaps Love (2005), directed by Peter Chan
  • Purple Butterfly (Zi hudie, 2003), directed by Ye Lou, starring Zhang Ziyi
  • A Romance in Shanghai (?????) (1996), starring Fann Wong
  • Shanghai Express (1932), starring Marlene Dietrich
  • The Shanghai Gesture (1941), directed by Josef von Sternberg
  • Shanghai Grand (1996), starring Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau and Ning Jing
  • Shanghai Triad (Yao a yao yao dao waipo qiao, 1995), directed by Zhang Yimou
  • Suzhou River (Suzhou he, 2000), directed by Ye Lou
  • Temptress Moon (Feng yue, 1996), directed by Chen Kaige
  • Ultraviolet (2006), starring Milla Jovovich
  • The White Countess (2005), with Ralph Fiennes

More Photos


Image:Shanghaid01.jpg|Shanghai Puxi (west bank) aerial view
Image:Shanghai ashish100 pudong.jpg|Shanghai Pudong (east bank) aerial view
Image:Lujiazui skyline, Pudong, Shanghai.JPG|Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone
Image:Huangpu River-The Bund.JPG|Pudong seen from the Huangpu River
Image:A maglev train coming out, Pudong International Airport, Shanghai.jpg|A maglev train is coming out of the Pudong International Airport

Image:Shanghai port, Waigaoqiao.jpg|A shipside in Waigaoqiao, Shanghai Port
Image:Huaihai2.jpg|Commercial advertisements at Hong Kong Plaza
Image:Shanghaid04.jpg|An old street (2005 photo)
Image:doraemon5 confucius.jpg|Yuyuan pagoda
Image:Yuyuan Gardens - water reflection.JPG|Yuyuan Gardens, water is an important aspect in Shanghainese gardens
Image:Martin_O'Connell_tiantong_road.jpg|Tiantong Road, displays a mixture of old and new architectures in Shanghai
Image:Shanghaid03.jpg|Street and traffic in Shanghai
Image:Shanghaitraffic.jpg|Shanghai traffic (buses, cars and taxis) on a Sunday afternoon
Image:Portsashish100.jpg|Yangpu Port (left) along the banks of the Huangpu River. The city is now paying greater attention toward environmental and quality of life concerns.unverifiedimage-->
Image:Shanghai s.jpg|A close-up of a skyscraper in Shanghai
Image:Bank of Shanghai, Jia Ding.png|The Bank of Shanghai

Sister cities

Shanghai has city partnerships with the following cities:

  • Since 1973: Yokohama, Japan
  • Since 1974: Osaka, Japan
  • Since 1979: Milan, Italy
  • Since 1979: Rotterdam, the Netherlands
  • Since 1979: San Francisco, United States
  • Since 1980: Zagreb, Croatia
  • Since 1982: Hamhung, North Korea
  • Since 1984: Antwerp, Belgium
  • Since 1984: Karachi, Pakistan
  • Since 1985: Chicago, United States
  • Since 1985: Montreal, Canada
  • Since 1986: Hamburg, Germany
  • Since 1986: Casablanca, Morocco
  • Since 1987: Marseille, France
  • Since 1988: São Paulo, Brazil
  • Since 1988: Saint Petersburg, Russia
  • Since 1989: ?stanbul, Turkey
  • Since 1990: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Since 1993: Busan, South Korea
  • Since 1994: Dunedin, New Zealand
  • Since 2000: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Since 2000: Liverpool, England
  • Since 2002: Constan?a, Romania
  • Since 2005: Cork, Ireland

Miscellaneous

The tallest structure in China, the distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower, is located in Shanghai. The Jin Mao tower located nearby is mainland China's tallest skyscraper, and ranks fifth in the world.

Shanghai will be the host of the Expo 2010 World's Fair between May to October 2010

Professional sports teams in Shanghai include:

  • Chinese Football Association Super League** Shanghai Shenhua
    • Shanghai Zobon
    • Inter Shanghai
  • Chinese Football Association Jia League
    • Shanghai Jiucheng
  • Chinese Basketball Association
    • Shanghai Sharks

The city has hosted the first Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on 26 September 2004.

See also

  • Shanghainese
  • Shanghai woman
  • Thames Town
  • Shanghai cuisine
  • Shanghaiing, verb derived from Shanghai
  • Shanghai tunnels
  • Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

References

Chronology

  • Key Dates:
  • 1978: Integrated steel works is founded in Shanghai as a flagship for the new era of Chinese economic reform; the original completion date is slated for 1982.
  • 1988: Baoshan plant begins production.
  • 1989: The company becomes the major steel supplier to Shanghai Automotive Industry Group.
  • 1996: A domestic and international marketing arm, Baosteel Group International Trade Corporation, is incorporated.
  • 1998: The company changes its name to Shanghai Baosteel Iron & Steel Corporation, and then merges with Shanghai Metallurgical and Shanghai Meishan, becoming China's leading integrated steelworks.
  • 2000: Shanghai Baosteel Iron & Steel lists stock on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
  • 2001: The company forms an alliance with Shougang Group and Wuhan Iron and Steel Group Corporation, becoming the world's third largest integrated steel group; a stainless steel production partnership is formed in Shanghai with ThyssenKrupp.
  • 2005: The company receives permission to begin construction of a new steelworks in Guangdong province as part of a goal of doubling capacity to more than 40 million tons by 2010.

Additional topics

Company HistoryMetal Manufacturing & Fabricating

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