Shanghai Architecture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Shanghai Architecture - Term Paper Example The economic history of the city signifies that Shanghai is an economic hub that is capable of transforming China into a developed state. Historical context Humans started settling in Shanghai 6000BC when they were attracted by the waters surrounding the city. The population formed a village that specialized in fishing. The Tang Dynasty developed the village into a town in 751 AD, when the empire marked its tenth year of ruling in China. The empire created a district that was known as the Song Jiang. This attracted higher settlement and fishing, and the village developed into a town. The town developed further under the leadership of the Northern Song Dynasty in 951AD (Warr, 2007). The Southern Song Empire later created Shanghai town as an official city because of the expansion of the population and fishing. This empire opened the port of Shanghai that would be used by ships that transported cargo to various regions. Ships transporting goods to and from Korea and within China used th e port to load and offload cargo. The transformation of the city into a port attracted business persons who settled near the harbor. The investors settled in the town to carry out their businesses with ease. The population that settled in Shanghai formulated new economic activities such as the production of cotton and textiles. Business persons made textiles using the cotton that was grown in the town. The production of textiles and farming of cotton led to the formation of a national cotton textile center. The Ming Dynasty created the center to facilitate the international trade of the goods. The center attracted the formation of administrative units that maintained peace in the region (Thubron, 2007). The cotton and textile business grew nationally and internationally. The goods were sold to international markets such as the European Union and America. The export of textiles led to further development and settlement in the town. In 1911 when the Qing Dynasty was in its last year o f ruling, Shanghai had developed into a powerful economic haven. The population of the city had grown to two hundred thousand, and the town had become a central harbor for ships transporting goods internationally (Mann, 2012). The population of the town had reached three and a half million by 1934. The population consisted of nationalities from other countries such as Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and Russia among others. Shanghai was named the fifth largest financial hub after London, Berlin, New York, and Tokyo (Warr, 2007). The growth of Shanghai continues to grow up to today when the city produces fifty five billion dollars worth of Gross Domestic Product in China. Narration of the Colonial Empire The beginning of the nineteenth century attracted mass immigration in Shanghai because of its economic past. British, Europeans, and Americans settled in the city, and each of these groups had various intentions of settling in the town. The British were the first to settle in Shanghai after defeating China in the opium war. The war arose because the Qing emperor of China opposed the importation of opium in the county (Warr, 2007). The British won in the war, and the importation of the drug from India continued; the export of silk and porcelain in Britain also continued. The trade of the goods, however, continued after the signing of the Nanking treaty. British missionaries settled along the Yangtze River after the signing of the treaty, and they formed colonies in the Shanghai. The