Shanghai is situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the People's Republic of China and the ninth largest in the world. Widely regarded as the citadel of China's modern economy, the city also serves as one of the most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers of China.
Originally a sleepy fishing town, Shanghai became China's most important city by the twentieth century and was the centre of popular culture, intellectual discourse and political intrigue during the Republic of China.