School trips to Shanghai

Why visit Shanghai?

The Pearl of the Orient

Shanghai has been referred to as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ and the ‘Paris of the East’. On the Yangtze river delta, the city is home to the world’s busiest container port and is a symbol of modern China’s booming economy.

In fact, it’s one of the most important financial centres in the world and the city’s wealth is clear to see, from the glimmering skyscrapers to the high-end boutiques and Michelin starred restaurants.

Explore a megacity

With a population of more than 33.5 million, Shanghai isn’t just the most populous city in China – it’s the most populous city proper in the world!

This makes it a fantastic choice for a geography school trip focusing on urban growth and change, management of urban resources, the emergence of megacities and sustainable urban development.

When Shanghai was founded, it was a fishing village and market town on the southern estuary of the Yangtze river. It rose to prominence in the 19th century, thanks to the foreign and domestic trade coming through its port, which was one of the five treaty ports that were forced to open to European trade after the First Opium War.

Now the world’s busiest container port, the importance of foreign trade to the development of Shanghai is evident throughout the city.

On your geography school trip to Shanghai, make sure you take some time to explore the city’s urban development at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre. Here, your students will learn about both historic and future planned development and can even examine a large scale model of the entirety of urban Shanghai.

Immerse yourselves in Chinese culture

Many school groups who visit Shanghai also include a visit to Beijing. By visiting both, your students will have a fantastic overview of the Chinese culture. They will see the ancient, imperial culture and political present in Beijing, while in Shanghai they will see modern China and the wealth of this economic powerhouse.

Visiting both cities will also show your students the diversity of China. They’ll notice that the food is different to that of Beijing – Shanghainese cuisine is often slightly sweeter than in other parts of China and rice is more common than noodles.

And the influence of western cuisine is also evident here, driven by the city’s history as an important international port.