About Shanghai
A city of 13 million population, today's Shanghai buzzes with financial, commercial and industrial activities. With one of the highest living standards in China, Shanghai promises a land of opportunity for entrepreneuers. Its retail business is booming, so is its reputation as the country's best shoppers' paradise.

Shanghai's potential lies not only in its resources - people and the wealth they have accumulated - but also in its colourful background and rich culture that attract millions of investment dollars as well as tourists from around the world. Generating an excellent flow of traffic for your prosperous retail business, Shanghai promises to be one of China's most desirable, golden area for investment.

Downtown
Yet the Shanghainese never lost their ability to make waves for themselves and, in recent years, China's central government has come to be dominated by individuals from the Shanghai area, who look with favour on the rebuilding of their old metropolis. In the early 1990s the decision was made to push Shanghai once again to the forefront of China's drive for modernization, and an explosion of economic activity has been unleashed. City planners are already busy, creating a subway network, colossal highways, flyovers and bridges, shopping malls, hotel complexes and the beginnings of a "New Downtown" ?the Special Economic Zone across the river in Pudong, already crowned by one of Asia's tallest buildings, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. With by far the most highly skilled labour force in the country, the long-suppressed Shanghai ability to combine style and sophistication with a sharp sense for business is once again riding high.

Weather
With a pleasant northern subtropical maritime monsoon climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons, generous sunshine and abundant rainfall. Its spring and autumn are relatively short compared with summer and winter. The average annual temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. The city has a frost-free period lasting up to 230 days a year, and receives and average annual rainfall of 1,200 millimetres . However, nearly 60% of the precipitation comes during the May-September flood season, which is divided into three rainy periods, namely, the Spring Rains, the Plum Rains and the autumn Rains.

Lodging
Accommodation in Shanghai is plentiful, and in places highly stylish, but prices are generally higher than elsewhere in China. The grand old-world hotels that form so integral a part of Shanghai's history cost at least US$100 per room these days, though a short stay in, for example, the famous Peace Hotel will certainly give you a memorable flavour of how Shanghai used to be. Even if you're not a resident, however, there's nothing to stop you strolling in to admire some of the finest art-deco interiors in the world. Meanwhile, brand-new skyscraper hotels are going up all the time; there's a Sheraton and a Hilton, as well as large numbers of top-class hotels out in the western part of town. All the luxury hotels charge an additional ten percent service charge, though during the off-season (in winter) some good discounts are offered. Prices are often quoted in US dollars, though you can always pay in yuan.