With an overall length of 113 kilometers, the Huangpu River is the last tributary of the Yangtze River before it empties into the East China Sea. The Huangpu River is the mother river of Shanghai and a city landmark.
CHEN TONG, Shanghai The Huangpu River divides Shanghai into two – on the east is Pudong, and on the west is Puxi. Along the river is Shanghai's beautiful skyline. But the Huangpu River is far more than a travel destination. It has been playing a crucial role in trade as well.
In 1843, Shanghai was trading with foreign countries from ports on the Huangpu River. More than a hundred of ports were built along the river in the 19th century – opening Shanghai to the outside world. Since then, the bund – the western part of the river – has been the most crowded area in the city.
In 1990, China decided to develop Pudong, a farmland in the eastern part of the Huangpu River. Professor Wang Zhan has been studying Shanghai's urban planning for decades. He says areas along Huangpu River were among Shanghai's first to develop.
WANG ZHAN, President, Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations Since China's reform and opening-up, the difference between the metropolis in the west of the river and the farmland in the east has pushed the city to develop the Pudong area. Starting in the 1990s, the development of Pudong also started with the areas along the river.
But Shanghai isn't the only city the Huangpu River has nurtured.
CHEN TONG, Shanghai This is Suzhou Creek, a tributary of the Huangpu. It goes all the way west to Shanghai's neighboring province of Jiangsu. Such water connections in the Yangtze River Delta are the key of the delta region having the best economy in the country.
The Huangpu River receives water from the Taihu Lake, a freshwater lake shared by the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. So cargo also goes in and out via the Huangpu River to the whole Yangtze River Delta region.
WANG ZHAN, President, Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations Water transit is lucrative and cheaper than railway and air travel. This is why Shanghai could go from a little town with a population of 200,000 to a modern metropolis.
Now Shanghai plans to add 400 hectares of public space along Huangpu river by 2025 – providing more places for tourists and residents to explore Shanghai's mother river. Chen Tong, CGTN, Shanghai.