Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world with over 23 million people. It is the financial capital of China and a city of extreme historical significance. Shanghai is considered the crowning achievement of China's economic success in recent years, and showcased this success when it hosted the World Expo 2010.

Shanghai's identity has been shaped by its history, which can be traced back thousands of years. It has been a market city since the mid 11th Century and became a trading center for the world in 1842. By 1930, Shanghai was a world hub of trade and commerce. Much of Shanghai's success was originally due to its proximity to the coast and Asia's largest river, the Yangtze. However, China recently re-invested in Shanghai in the early 1990's as a center for world finance, which has seen rapid ecenomic growth in a short period of time.

Shanghai is located along the central eastern coast of China and is its own municipality. The city has grown rapidly over the last few decades, and as such has all the amenities that one would expect from one of the world's economic centers. It is the largest city in China, and one of the largest in the world with over 20 million inhabitants.Shanghai lies almost exactly between Beijing and Hong Kong, and as such, enjoy incredibly moderate weather year-round. You will experience every season in Shanghai, all of them mild. The summer can bring a good deal of rain, but with average temperatures in the mid-80's, even summer rains can be nice.

Type	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Highs	47	49	55	66	75	82	89	88	81	73	63	52
Lows	34	36	42	52	61	69	77	77	69	59	48	37
Avg. Rainfall	1.99	2.24	3.89	3.52	4.03	6.68	6.15	6.22	5.41	2.46	1.82	1.46

• Shanghai Tourism Website
• Unesco World Heritage Sites in China
• Shanghai City Guides (National Geographic)