A few interesting facts about Shanghai

Shanghai is the economic capital of China and its largest city in term of urban population (9.5 million inhabitants) and second municipality (19 million) after Chongqing (32 m).

- Shanghai produces 30% of China's GDP (1.5 trillion yuan out of 4.9 trillion in 2009)

- 25% of the Chinese industrial output comes from the city on the sea

- When Shanghai became a foreign concession in 1842 it was already a booming commercial port of 300,000 inhabitants, not a fishing village as some Western history books claim.

- As of late 2009 Shanghai had 207 towers above 100 metres in height, including 14 above 250 metres.

- The Shanghai World Financial Center (492 m) is currently the third-tallest building in the world.

- In 1914, Shanghai had 200 banks, dealing with 80% of the foreign investments in China.

- Foreign residents of the city called themselves "Shanghailanders", from 1842 to 1949, as opposed the Shanghainese who are the Chinese inhabitants.

- the Shanghai dialect is approximately 50% intelligible with standard Mandarin.

- The Shanghai Maglev Train, linking the airport to the city centre since 2004, is the world's fastest passenger train, reaching a maximum cruising speed of 431 km/h.