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Shanghai, the host city of
2010 World Expo, also named "Hu" or "Shen" in short, is situated
at 31"14' north latitude and 121"29' east longitude, and in the
middle of China's east coastline. It occupies a total area of
6,341sq.km. (of which Pudong new Area occupies 523sq.km.), with a
total resident population of 16,000,000. It has a pleasant climate,
with four distinct seasons. The average temperature is around 18oC
and the annual precipitation is 1,240mm.
Shanghai, an open city on the coast and a famous
historical and cultural city, is a gate to the Yangtze River delta.
It is a municipality under the direct jurisdiction of the Central
Government, the largest economic and trade center, a comprehensive
industrial base and the leading port in China.
Shanghai is well known in the world not only for
its prosperous cosmopolitan feature but also for its rich humanistic
resources. In recent years, a number of modem buildings have been
added to the city, such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai
Museum, Shanghai Library, Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai Grand Theatre,
Shanghai Circus City, Shanghai City-Planning Exhibition Hall and Jin
Mao Tower, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum. They have become
new scenic sights in Shanghai. Colorful festivities, like Shanghai
Tourism Festival and Shanghai China International Art Festival, have
attracted an increasing number of tourists from home and overseas.
Shanghai's tourist infrastructure is getting more
and more accomplished. By the end of 2002, there were 40
international travel services, 524 domestic travel services and 300
star-rated hotels with about 50,000 rooms. Shanghai is an ideal
"paradise for shoppers". There are commercial streets and shopping
areas like the famous Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall, Huaihai Road,
Sichuan Bei Road, Yuyuan Commercial and Tourist Area, the Ever
Bright Commercial City, Xujiahui Commercial City and Zhangyang Road
Commercial City in Pudong. There, shops stand rows upon rows with
large collections of beautiful commodities, meeting the needs of
tourists of different levels. Shanghai is also the paradise for
gourmets. There are over a thousand restaurants serving the 16
different styles of food in China, such as the Beijing, Sichuan,
Guangdong, Yangzhou, Fujian, etc. There are Western restaurants
serving French, Russian, Italian, English, German, Japanese and
Indian food and also Muslim and vegetarian food. In Shanghai, one
can have a taste of all the delicacies in the world. Shanghai is
well developed in communications by land, water and air. There are
over 40 Chinese and foreign air companies opening about 300 air
routes dispatching from Shanghai. Shanghai Railway Station
dispatches everyday 80 pairs of trains back and forth from Shanghai.
There are the Shanghai-Nanjing, Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Freeways.
The Pudong International Airport has opened for traffic. Its annual
passenger transport volume will be 20,000,000 person/times. Plus
that of the Hongqiao International Airport, it will be 30,000,000
person/times. Subways No.1 and 2 and the light-rail first phase
project are in operation. Together with the 10 special tour bus
lines connecting Shanghai with neighbouring tourist areas, they will
render faster service and more convenience in urban communications
to tourists. Recently, the magnetic buoyant train has been opened to
the public. It offers travelers a zero height of flight at 430
km/hr.
On Dec. 3, 2002, Shanghai succeeded in winning
the bid for the sponsorship of World Expo 2010. The world has given
China a share of luck and Shanghai will add more splendor to the
world Shanghai is ushering in excellent opportunities for
development. People of Shanghai warmly welcome visitors from home
and overseas.
Shanghai is an ideal "shopping paradise." Nanjing
Road, known as "China's No.1 Street", the reconstructed Huaihai
Road, Jinling Road, East and North Sichuan Road, the Yuyuan Garden
shopping and tourist area, the Ever Bright City Commercial Center,
Xujiahui Commercial Center, and Zhangyang Road Commercial Center in
Pudong are all packed with rows of shops. Shanghai is also a
paradise for gourmets. There are over a thousand restaurants serving
the famous 16 styles of Chinese food, such as Beijing, Sichuan,
Guangdong, Yangzhou, Fujian. There is also French, Russian, Italian,
English, German, Japanese, Indian and many other tantalizing types
of foreign cuisine, genuine Muslim food and vegetarian food. In
Shanghai you have the world at your fingertips. |
