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SHANGHAI, THE LARGEST CITY OF CHINA
SHANGHAI, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the People's Republic of China. Widely regarded as the citadel of China's modern economy, the city also serves as one of the most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers of China. Administratively, Shanghai is a municipality of the People's Republic of China that has province-level status. Shanghai is also one of the world's busiest ports, and became the largest cargo port in the world in 2005. Originally a sleepy fishing town, Shanghai became China's most important city by the 20th century and was the centre of popular culture, vice, intellectual discourse and political intrigue during the Republic of China. Shanghai once became the third largest financial centre in the world, ranking after New York City and London, and the largest commercial city in the Far East in the late 19th century and early 20th century.After the communist takeover in 1949, Shanghai languished under heavy central government taxation and much of its bourgeois elements were purged. Following the central government's authorization of market-economic redevelopment of Shanghai in 1992, Shanghai quickly surpassed early-starters Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and has since led China's economic growth. Some challenges remain for Shanghai at the beginning of the 21st century, as the city struggles to cope with increased worker migration, and a huge wealth gap. However, these challenges aside, Shanghai's skyscrapers and modern lifestyle mark the pinnacle of China's recent economic development. Before the formation of Shanghai city, Shanghai was part of Songjiang county governed by Suzhou prefecture. From the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Shanghai gradually became a busy seaport, outgrowing its political jurisdictions.
A city wall was built in AD 1553, which is generally regarded as the beginning of the city of Shanghai. Before the 19th century, Shanghai was not a major city, so in contrast to other major Chinese cities today, there are fewer ancient Chinese landmarks to be found in Shanghai. However, the few cultural landmarks in Shanghai are very ancient and typically date to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, because present-day Shanghai is within the historic cultural center of the Wu Kingdom (222-280). During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai became an important port regionally for the Yangtze and Huangpu rivers and a sea port for the nearby Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, although overseas commerce was still forbidden at that time. Wujiaochang (???), now in Yangpu District, and the areas nearby already formed the foundation of the city centre. In the later years of the Qianlong era, Shiliupu (???), now in Huangpu District, was already the largest port in East Asia.
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