Shanghai, or "Hu" for short in Chinese, is a municipality of the People's Republic of China, and is the economic, financial, trade and shipping center of the Chinese mainland. It is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River and enjoys a north-subtropical monsoon climate with four seasons, abundant sunshine and plentiful rainfall. January is usually the coldest month with an average temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius. The hottest month is July, when the average temperature is about 28 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai is home to the first "pilot free trade zone" on the Chinese mainland, dubbed the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in the city's Pudong New District. It adjoins Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and faces Anhui province. With Shanghai as the leader, they together constitute the "Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration". Shanghai Port has ranked first in the world for several consecutive years for cargo and container flow-through. It is a first-class international port, due to its favorable location close to river and sea.

The city spirit of Shanghai may be described as "diverse, in pursuit of excellence, open and wise, generous and humble". In recent years, it successfully hosted the World Expo 2010, the Shanghai International Art Festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival and other large-scale cultural exchange activities.

One of the major tourist cities in China, Shanghai has the following attractions: the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Shanghai Grand Theater, Yuyuan Garden, the Bund Scenic Area, the Xintiandi Entertainment & Leisure Area, and the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. As every visitor to Shanghai learns, there are many other attractions on offer.