Shanghai is the most populous city in both China and Asia as well as the most populous city proper in the world (though the latter two claims are at times disputed with Tokyo and Seoul). It is the second most populous of the four direct-controlled municipalities in mainland China, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2014. It is a global financial center, and a transport hub with the world's busiest container port. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits on the south edge of the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.
For centuries a major administrative, shipping, and trading town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of five forced open to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War while the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking and 1844 Treaty of Whampoa allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, trade was limited to socialist countries, and the city's global influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.
Shanghai is a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, City God Temple, Yu Garden, the extensive Lujiazui skyline, many skyscrapers, and major museums including the Shanghai Museum and the China Art Museum. It has been described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of mainland China.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai
Tags: China 中国 People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 Shanghai Shi 上海市 Shanghai 上海 沪 Huangpu District Huangpu 黄浦区 Asia Post Offices
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Hangzhou (杭州), formerly romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang Province in East China. It sits at the head of Hangzhou Bay, which separates Shanghai and Ningbo. Hangzhou grew to prominence as the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last millennium. The city's West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, immediately west of the city, is amongst its best-known attractions.
Hangzhou is classified as a sub-provincial city and forms the core of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, the fourth-largest in China. During the 2010 Chinese census, the metropolitan area held 21.102 million people over an area of 13,353 square miles (34,585 square kilometers). Hangzhou prefecture had a registered population of 9,018,000 in 2015.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangzhou
Tags: China 中国 People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 Zhejiang 浙江 Zhejiang Province 浙江省 浙Xiacheng District 下城区 Hangzhou Hangchow 杭州 杭州市 Asia Post Offices
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The General Post Office Building (上海邮政总局大楼) is the head post office of Shanghai, China. Built in 1924, the four-storey building is located at 395 Tiandong Road, at the north end of the Sichuan Road Bridge, on the banks of the Suzhou Creek.
In the early years of the Republic of China (ROC), Shanghai was the center of China's postal network. In 1914, China joined the Universal Postal Union, and Shanghai was designated as the exchange for international mail. By the early 1920s, the previous premises of the postal administration was no longer adequate, and land was acquired on the north bank of Suzhou Creek for the construction of a new headquarters building. The building was situated within the Shanghai International Settlement, midway between the central business district and the Shanghai North Railway Station.
Built from 1922 to 1924 and designed by Stewardson & Spence, the building is in Classical style. Its two main facades use three-story high grand order Corinthian columns. The main door is on the corner, and is topped by a Baroque style clock tower. The sides of the clock tower are decorated with three statuary groups. The central group features Hermes, flanked by Eros and Aphrodite, the god and goddess of love. On the second level is the 1200 square meter main trading hall, which was known as the "First Hall of the Far East." The foundations of the building used an ingenious system of tanks, which was filled and drained by water from neighboring Suzhou Creek as water levels rose and fell. This ensured that the building remained stable and level despite changes in water levels.
After the Chinese civil war the building continued to house the headquarters of Shanghai's postal administration. From 2003, parts of the building, including the courtyard, was converted into Shanghai Postal Museum. Admission to the museum is free. Postal administration functions had moved out, but the retail post office operation continue from the trading hall (though that is now only a fraction of its original size). It is protected as a National Artifact Preservation Unit.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Post_Office_Building,_Shanghai
Tags: China 中国 People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 Shanghai Shi 上海市 Shanghai 上海 Hongkou District Hongkou 虹口区 Asia Post Offices 沪 British Colonial Architecture
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The General Post Office Building (上海邮政总局大楼) is the head post office of Shanghai, China. Built in 1924, the four-storey building is located at 395 Tiandong Road, at the north end of the Sichuan Road Bridge, on the banks of the Suzhou Creek.
In the early years of the Republic of China (ROC), Shanghai was the center of China's postal network. In 1914, China joined the Universal Postal Union, and Shanghai was designated as the exchange for international mail. By the early 1920s, the previous premises of the postal administration was no longer adequate, and land was acquired on the north bank of Suzhou Creek for the construction of a new headquarters building. The building was situated within the Shanghai International Settlement, midway between the central business district and the Shanghai North Railway Station.
Built from 1922 to 1924 and designed by Stewardson & Spence, the building is in Classical style. Its two main facades use three-story high grand order Corinthian columns. The main door is on the corner, and is topped by a Baroque style clock tower. The sides of the clock tower are decorated with three statuary groups. The central group features Hermes, flanked by Eros and Aphrodite, the god and goddess of love. On the second level is the 1200 square meter main trading hall, which was known as the "First Hall of the Far East." The foundations of the building used an ingenious system of tanks, which was filled and drained by water from neighboring Suzhou Creek as water levels rose and fell. This ensured that the building remained stable and level despite changes in water levels.
After the Chinese civil war the building continued to house the headquarters of Shanghai's postal administration. From 2003, parts of the building, including the courtyard, was converted into Shanghai Postal Museum. Admission to the museum is free. Postal administration functions had moved out, but the retail post office operation continue from the trading hall (though that is now only a fraction of its original size). It is protected as a National Artifact Preservation Unit.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Post_Office_Building,_Shanghai
Tags: China 中国 People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 Shanghai Shi 上海市 Shanghai 上海 Hongkou District Hongkou 虹口区 Asia Post Offices 沪 British Colonial Architecture
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Beijing is a world-class city of roughly 20 million people serving as the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in China, behind Shanghai, and is one of my favorite places for historic architecture and fabulous food from around the nation.
Tags: China 中国 People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 Beijing Shi 北京市 Beijing Peking 北京 Post Offices Banks Asia 京
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