Old Shanghai , New Shanghai
Kennedy School , Lau , King Hin – 10
S hanghai is a multicultural city with a vibrant and multiracial background , with Americans , Chinese , French and
British , mixing in the cultural hotspot . You can shop at Nanjing Road , which houses famous brands and has the privilege of being named one of the world ' s busiest shopping streets , or you could take a stroll through The Bund , the main core of Shanghai in the 1930s . But what made the city so successful ? We ' ll now take a look at its rich and colorful history .
Shanghai means upon the sea in Chinese . Historians also concluded that Shanghai was presumably on the sea in the Tang Dynasty . The city also has numerous nicknames in English including “ Pearl of the Orient ” and “ Paris of the East ” In 1842 , after the Treaty of Nanking was signed ; it marked a new era for the old city of Shanghai . The port was open to trade and the British , French ; the USA took advantage of this by creating concessions dedicated to their own countries , but the walled old city was still in the hands of the Chinese . Due to the change of governors in 1912 , the walls were dismantled and now only a small section remains where now the Dajing Ge museum is located .
Inside the old city in the 1930s it was really a beehive of activity . Local street vendors called out the products and the street were full of cars and rickshaws , locals usually enjoyed themselves by eating street food like you tiao ( fried dough sticks ) or some xiao long bao ( Buns stuffed with minced pork ). These delicious buns are very popular around the world and maybe next time you go to Shanghai you might want to try some also !
A typical house in the old walled city might consist of the very basics of shelter , bedrooms , bathrooms , kitchens etc . But houses on the Bund would consist of ballrooms , libraries , meeting rooms etc , now you can see the difference in lifestyle between the Chinese and the foreigners .
Leisure activities included snake charming , which was where a person charmed a snake and in return earned money from the audience . There were also many street theaters , where the public could enjoy shows that were acted by real actors . People could also go dancing clubs , where you could party all night without a care in the world . One of the most famous dance clubs was the ones on the Bund , a financial center that housed the most prestigious hotels and banks . One Shanghainese saying was if you had a piece of land on the Bund , you were a wealthy man . The famous Peninsula Hotel was an example of how much it would cost to stay there : 10309.95 RMB per night ( Pricing for the best suite as of 29 / 12 / 16 )!
That was just the introduction , now we will dive into a few areas which really make up this exotic and engaging metropolis .
1 . Language
This is Shanghai ’ s core , without it- it will be nothing . Since Shanghai mostly consists of local Chinese and foreigners . English is compulsory at all schools across town from early ages to prevent misunderstanding between people . Shanghainese dialects are also spoken in some vicinities of Shanghai . Shanghainese is also rich in vowels and is deemed some of the hardest dialects to learn in China .
2 . Food Food is also an important virtue in Shanghai ’ s transformation from Old to New .
In Old Shanghai , there were many street food vendors on the street , ranging from common snacks to delicacies . Now , with the majority relying on supermarkets to buy their food , the number of street vendors began to shrink ,