City Plate - Shanghai

Shanghai, the largest commercial and financial power in China, is one of the largest ports in Asia.  Its central location on China’s Pacific coast has made the city a major gateway between China and the Western world.  The city’s urban center has a unique organic form, caused in part by the wide curve of the Huangpu River, which bisects the city and comes across as a dramatic swath of blue on the plate.  In contrast, the grid-like form of Western city planning stands as a direct result of foreign occupation after the Opium Wars of the 19th century.