Shanghai History

OO… Ahh… Wow!  are the expressions on people’s faces as they stare at the Bund’s magnificent sky line.   China’s largest and most economically prosperous city appeals to many audiences.  Shanghai is known for its outstanding dining, shopping, and business among many other things.  Chinese and Foreigners come from far and wide to experience all the city has to offer.  Interestingly, the city also has a great history that is often overlooked.  The city has history dating all the way back to the B.C. era and extending to 20^th century.  Shanghai’s history is another outstanding quality that deserves a thorough investigation.

Shanghai was originally established during the Kingdom of Wu era in 513 B.C. During this time, the modern Kiangsu province was also formed (Pannell).  In 200 B.C., Shanghai was known as, a “liu-tuh,” a renowned fishing port (Pannell).  Shanghai’s excellent proximity to the Yangtze and the China East Sea made the fishing trade very prosperous.  Shanghai’s current name, was given sometime around 1200 A.D.  The translation in Chinese means Above the Sea (Autumn).

Around 1200 A.D., Shanghai’s fishing business was clearly the main industry but other burgeoning industry existed (Wikipedia).  Shanghai had sprawling commerce, shipping, farming and craft working industries.  So much prosperity was evident, that during these times, a separate county was established (Pannell).  As a result, Shanghai became the authoritative city with in the county.  These developments gave the city an official status and most importantly, the ability to collect taxes (Pannell).

Around 1350 to 1650 A.D., during the Ming Dynasty, Shanghai experienced more fantastic growth (Pannell).  During this time, a quoted statistic stated that the city had almost 64,000 homes (Columbia).  An ambitious project was also undertaken and completed.  A new channel was built on the north shore of the Yangtze.  The channel provided for better management of silt at the river’s exit to the East China Sea (Columbia).  The preceding project created a more accommodating river for boats to pass.  Today, scholars regard the channel as a historic feat of engineering (Pannell).

With all of Shanghai’s prosperity came a constant threat of attack.   Japanese pirates frequented the area and were bound to inhibit the economic activity (Pannell).  On almost a regular basis, pirates attacked and raided many costal areas of China.  In a response to the threat in 1554, the Chinese government decided to construct a city wall (Columbia).   The wall was stated to be 4 miles long and 8 meters in height.  The wall also had 6 gates and 20 defensive arrow outposts. The wall was considered a magnificent structure, enough so, that Shanghai was also called, The Walled Town (Columbia).