Shanghai
Shanghai is a provincial-level direct-administered municipality in China. It has a population of 30,050,000 in the urban area as of 2026, thus making it China's most populous city and the fifth-largest city in the world. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port. Originally a fishing village and market town, Shanghai grew to global prominence in the 19th century. The city was one of five treaty ports forced to open to trade with the Europeans after the First Opium War, with the Shanghai International Settlement and French Concession subsequently established. The city became a primary commercial and financial hub of Asia in the 1930s. The reform and opening up supported by Deng Xiaoping led to extensive redevelopment by the 1990s, particularly in the Pudong New Area.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
4winter
temperate to cold and damp; openmeteo mean 4.5-6.8 °C (Wikipedia: northwesterly Siberian winds can drop nighttime temps below freezing; extremes to −10.1 °C); ~4.7 snowfall days/year; relatively dry (Dec-Feb 1.2-2.4 mm/day)
- the cold damp winter — life retreats into the underground concourses and the malls; the lowest tourist density outside the holidays
spring
pleasant but changeable and often rainy; openmeteo mean 9.8-20.5 °C; one of the two 'most pleasant seasons' (per Wikipedia), though spring is 'changeable and often rainy'
- the comfortable spring window — the French Concession plane trees and the parks (Fuxing, Lu Xun) at their best; the cherry blossoms
summer
hot and very humid; openmeteo mean 24.4-28.4 °C (Aug 28.4; ~21 days/yr ≥35 °C; extreme 40.9 °C); the wettest month Jun (6.4 mm/day); the least sunny (Jun only 28% possible sunshine); typhoons possible summer/early autumn
- the oppressive heat — life shifts after dark; the Huangpu riverfront and the rooftop bars carry the season
- typhoon risk in summer and early autumn; frequent thunderstorms and downpours
autumn
the best season — sunny and dry; openmeteo mean 13.5-24.6 °C; 'autumn, which is usually sunny and dry'; the comfortable clear window
- the high season — the Shanghai Masters (tennis) and the comfortable walking window for the Bund, the French Concession and the water towns (Zhujiajiao)
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Chinese Grand Prix
- the Chinese Grand Prix — a round of the Formula One World Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit
Shanghai Masters
- the Shanghai Masters — an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament
Battle of Shanghai
- the Battle of Shanghai (Second Sino-Japanese War); the city fell under Japanese rule
Pudong Redevelopment
- Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up spurred the Pudong New Area redevelopment
- the return of finance and foreign investment
On the record
source-trackedShanghai has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). The city experiences four distinct seasons.
Winters are temperate to cold and damp—northwesterly winds from Siberia can cause nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing. Each year, there are an average of 4.7 days with snowfall.
Summers are hot and humid, and occasional downpours or thunderstorms can be expected. On average, 21 days meet or exceed 35 °C annually. In summer and the beginning of autumn, the city is susceptible to typhoons.
The most pleasant seasons are generally spring, although changeable and often rainy, and autumn, which is usually sunny and dry.
The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
The central financial district, Lujiazui, was established on the east bank of the Huangpu (Pudong).
As of 2025, there are 19 metro lines, 508 stations, and 808 km of lines in operation, making it the longest network in the world.
Opened in 2004, the Shanghai maglev train is the first and the fastest commercial high-speed maglev in the world, with a maximum operation speed of 430 km/h.
Signature dishes of Benbang cuisine include Xiaolongbao, Red braised pork belly, and Shanghai hairy crab.
The culture fuses elements of Western cultures with the local Wuyue culture, and its influence extends to the city's literature, fashion, architecture, music, and cuisine.
Shanghai was the most expensive city in mainland China to live in according to a 2023 study by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
It has sandy soil, and skyscrapers have to be built with deep concrete piles to avoid sinking into the soft ground.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.