Study in Shanghai 

 
Shanghai (上海 Shànghǎi), with a population of more than 18 million (and over 5.8 million migrants), is one of the most populous and most developed cities in the People's Republic of China.
Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s, and remained the most developed city in Communist China. In the 1990s Shanghai again became an attractive spot for tourists worldwide.
 
 
The skyline of Pudong
 
Districts
 
Shanghai is split in two by the Huangpu River (黄浦江 huángpǔ jiāng), with the older town on the west bank known as Puxi (浦西 pǔ xī) and the brash new development on the east side being Pudong (浦东 pǔdōng).
 
Areas within Puxi:
                      The Bund (外滩 wàitān) - the colonial riverside of old (and reborn) Shanghai, including the Yuyuan Gardens (豫园 yùyuán)
                      French Concession - the leafy district once known as the Paris of the East, including the refurbished shikumen houses of Xintiandi. The boutique shopping areas, restaurants and leafy lanes north of Hua Hai Lu are one of the highlights of Shanghai.
                      Xujiahui - Southwest part of Shanghai
                      Gubei - Close to the Hongqiao airport, a Carrefour, and with a large expat population
                      Nanjing Road - One of China's most famous shopping streets, it passes Jing'an (静安 jìng ān), leading to People's Park (人民公园 rénmín gōngyuán) and The Bund.
                      Hongkou (虹口 hóngkǒu) - Home for famed writer Lu Xun, now including a Memorial Park and a Museum.
                      Yangpu (杨浦 yángpǔ) - Where the famous Fudan University and Tongji University are. Also contains the excellent and spacious gongqing forest park (共青森林公园 gòngqīng sēnlín gōngyuán)
and across the river:
                      Jing'An Temple - commercial area on nanjing Rd.
                      Pudong - the skyscraper-laden new financial and commercial district on the east bank of the river
 
Outlying districts:
                      嘉定 - Jiādìng
                      青浦 - Qīngpǔ
                      金山 - Jīnshān
                      南汇 - Nánhuì
                      松江 - Sōngjiāng
                      宝山 - Bǎoshān

 
Understand
 
Shanghai is a fascinating mix of East and West. It has historic shikumen (石库门） houses that blended the styles of Chinese houses with European design flair, and it has one of the richest collections of art deco buildings in the world. Because there were so many Concessions (designated districts) to Western powers during the turn of the 20th century, at times the city has the feel of Paris or Montreal, while Tudor style buildings give a German flair, and the 1930s buildings put you in New York or Chicago.
In the beginning of the 1990s, the Shanghai government launched a series of new strategies to attract foreign investments. The biggest move was to open up Pudong, once a rural area of Shanghai. The strategies succeeded, and now Pudong has become the financial district of Shanghai, with numerous skyscrapers.
Today Shanghai's goal is to develop into a world-class financial and economic center of China, and even Asia. In achieving this goal Shanghai faces competition from Hong Kong, which has the advantage of a stronger legal system and greater banking and service expertise. Shanghai has stronger links to the Chinese interior and to the central government in addition to a stronger manufacturing and technology base. Since the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC, Shanghai has increased its role in finance, banking, and as a major destination for corporate headquarters, fueling demand for a highly educated and westernized workforce.
Due to rapid industrial and economic development, as well as lax governmental environment policies, Shanghai has recently been ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Individuals with asthma or respiratory issues should be prepared when visiting the city.