Shanghai, the largest city in China, is an amazing mix of the ancient and hi-tech western civilization. It is a multi-cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional Chinese features. The city, whose name literally means "on the sea", is located on the East China coast just to the south of the mouth of the Yangtze River. It has a status equivalent to a province, and  reports directly to the central government. Serving as the largest base of Chinese industrial technology, one of the most important seaports and China's largest commercial and financial center, shanghai draws the attention of the whole world. A cultural, prosperous city, Shanghai offers visitors some of the world’s grandest sights.

     Broadly, central Shanghai is divided into two areas: Pudong (east of the Huangpu River) and Puxi (west of the Huangpu River). On the east side of the Huangpu is Pudong, a special economic zone of banks, skyscrapers and new residential compounds. The Bund lies on the historic Puxi side of the Huangpu River and looks across to the new skyline of Pudong business district. West of the old town and hidden in the backstreets north and south of Huaihai Street (Shanghai's premier shopping street) is the former French Concession, with tree-lined streets, 1930s architecture, and cafes and bars. At its western end is a major collection of Western-style restaurants and bars. Continuing southeast is Xujiahui with its massive shopping intersection. Farther south is Shanghai Stadium. Western Shanghai is dominated by Hongqiao, a zone of hotels, conference centers, and business offices. Farther west is Gubei, anexpat area. Northeastern Shanghai has an industrial feel and is home to several universities. Further northwest is Zhabei and Shanghai train station. Street names are given in Pinyin, which makes navigating easy, and many of the streets are named after cities and provinces in China.

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