Shanghai (上海市) is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowing through it. Originally a fishing village and market town, Shanghai grew to global prominence in the 19th century due to both domestic and foreign trade and its favorable port location. The city was one of five treaty ports forced to open to trade with the Europeans after the First Opium War. n 1990, Deng Xiaoping permitted Shanghai to initiate economic reforms, which reintroduced foreign capital to the city and developed the Pudong district, resulting in the birth of Lujiazui (陆家嘴), a peninsula formed by a bend in the Huangpu River which has been developed specifically as a new financial district.

Below is a selection of photos taken during a visit to Shanghai on June 8, 2010. Click on a small photo for a larger view, then select the next one with the cursor keys or the arrows on either side of the photo.