The word “Shangai” means litterally “to the sea.” The city located along  the right bank of the River Huangpuis is administratively a municipality under the central government.Shangai is the most populous city in China, . Its fortune  depend largely on its location near the sea and its large port open to traffic throughout the world.
Shangai is a massive industrial and commercial center (steel and textile industry, shipyards, which are the largest in China, automobile factories).
Its historical origins date back to the Song dynasty. The actual role of Shanghai started in 1842 when, following the Treaty of Nanjing that imposed to the city port to open to international shipping, forcing the city to host several foreign companies  (English, French, U.S.).
  

The concessions were  areas of the city rented by the Chinese government that enjoyed  administrative and judicial extraterritoriality, although nominally were part of the Chinese territory.
On 1 July 1921, in the French Concession, was born the Chinese Communist Part; the movement started as a protest against the arrogance of the Japanese and English. In 1949,  the Concessions were abolished and began the political and social transformation. Besides being a commercial center, Shanghai is also a cultural center with Colleges and Universities. It is twinned, since 1979, with the city of Milan in Italy.
The important avenue Zhongshan (Zhongshan lu), once known as the Bund, goes from the confluence of the Huangpu River Wusong to the ends of the old city. The Bund is flanked by enormous palaces, once the headquarters of banks and foreign trade companies, testimony of the period of concessions and now headquarters for offices and corporations.

The Nanjing Lu dong begins where the Bund ends, and extends itself for several kilometers to the west. If the Bund is probably the most interesting part of Shanghai,the Nanjing route is surelythe most crowded;in fact, is lined with shops, restaurants, cinemas, the Parks, the Municipal Library, the Museum of Natural Sciences and after the square where once there was the racetrack, the Circus of Shanghai.
Riverside: the famous riverside  called by the English Bund (Anglo-Indian term that indicates a  muddy quay) is now known by the name of Waitan;this area is flanked by majestic buildings in Western style of the Thirties and some of them retain their original function, like the famous Peace Hotel, where even today  take place jazz concerts. On the other side,many other buildings have been converted into banks,government buildings or commercial centers.

 
On the other side of the river there are the newest areas (Pudong),where houses and offices are built at a record pace. The most notable building is certainly the modern TV Tower (490 m, the second highest tower in Asia),with its bizarre shape; on the top of the tower there is a rotating restaurant where you can enjoy a wonderful panorama.