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Shanghai Travel Guide & Tours Information - Pudong - Jin Mao Building

China Tours including trips to Pudong in Shanghai:

Pudong, is a district of Shanghai, China that enjoys sub-provincial administrative status. It is named "Pudong" because of its location on the east side of the Huangpu river, on the opposite of Puxi, the west side. After its merger with Nanhui District (now defunct) in May 2009, the Pudong New Area comprises the majority of land in eastern Shanghai.

Since the beginning of its development in 1990 when plans were first announced, Pudong has become a New Open Economic Development Zone, and has emerged as China's financial and commercial hub. Pudong is home to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and a skyline that includes the symbolic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building, the Shanghai World Financial Center and soon-to-be-completed Shanghai Tower reflective of Shanghai and China's rapid economic development.

Geography
Pudong literally means "East of the [Huang] pu". Pudong is bounded by the Huangpu river in the west and the East China Sea in the east. It has an area of 522.8 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million people. Pudong is contrasted with Puxi, the older part of Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River, which is divided into various administrative districts. As Pudong is a large district geographically, it may well be divided into smaller administrative districts in the future.

Government
Districts of the direct-controlled municipality of Shanghai are administratively on the same level as prefecture-level cities. However, the government of Pudong has a status equivalent to that of a sub-provincial city, which is half a level above a prefecture-level city. This is due to Pudong's size and importance as the financial hub of China.

Population
Since its inception as a special economic zone and China's financial centre, Pudong's population largely consists of migrants from the Puxi side of Shanghai, those from other regions in China, and increasingly, foreigners.

Economy
With the Nanhui District merger in May 2009, Pudong's new gross domestic product amounts to an estimated RMB370 billion (US$53.98 billion), roughly equal to that of Slovenia. Its GDP per capita is therefore around US$16,938. The area's aggregate GDP has now surpassed that of six provincial-level entities and is a figure that lies above most of the world's countries.

The area is divided into four distinct economic districts. Apart from Lujiazui Trade and Finance Zone, there is Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, the largest free trade zone in mainland China covering approximately 10 km² in north-east Pudong. The Jinqiao Export Processing Zone is another major industrial area in Pudong covering 19 km². Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park is a special area for technology-oriented businesses, covering 17 km² in central Pudong.

Transportation
Pudong International Airport opened its doors in 1999, the same year Shanghai Metro Line 2 commenced services between Puxi (west bank of the river) and Pudong. Line 2 terminates at Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, although expansion plans bring the line even further east to Pudong International Airport. A magnetic levitation train began operating in 2004, moving passengers between the airport and Longyang Road Metro station. The Metro's Line 4 Loop and Line 6 also began operation in Pudong in 2007.

Pudong is connected to Puxi by several tunnels and four major bridges. The first of these bridges were the Nanpu Bridge (1991) and the Yangpu Bridge (1993). The Xupu Bridge opened in 1996. The latest of these is Lupu Bridge, which is the world's longest arch bridge and was completed in 2002. Currently there are five tunnels that link the two sides, Dapu Rd. Tunnel, the first tunnel across the Huangpu River, Yan'an Rd. Tunnel, running east-west, and Dalian Rd. Tunnel, running north-south, Fuxing Rd. Tunnel, complementing the Yan'an Rd. Tunnel, Waihuan Tunnel, one part of Shanghai Outer Ring Express. Two new tunnels linking Lujiazui to Puxi are under construction.

Roads in Pudong have no particular longitudinal or latitudinal orientation. Major thoroughfares Pudong Avenue, Zhangyang Road and Yanggao Road run east-west until Yangpu Bridge before turning gradually to become north-south. Shiji (Century) Avenue cuts all three major roads and extends from Lujiazui to Century Park. Yanggao Rd. extends south to A20, Shanghai's outer Ring road, which runs east-west from Xupu Bridge and then north-south beginning at the interchange near Renxi Village, when the east-west expressway turns into Yingbin Avenue, headed for Pudong International Airport.

History
"Pudong" refers to the land in the east of Huangpu River. However, the area nearby the River was administered by other districts in Puxi including Huangpu District, Yangpu District, Nanshi District (absorbed by Huangpu District now). The rest of the area was administered by Chuansha County. Before 1990, Pudong was mainly farmland and countryside. In 1993, the Chinese government decided to set up a Special Economic Zone in Chuansha county, then Pudong New Area was created, and simultaneously, the land along the river bank was turned over to Pudong. The western tip of the Pudong district was designated to be the new financial hub of modern China called the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. Several landmark buildings were constructed in Lujiazui during the 1990s to raise the image and awareness of the area. These include the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Jin Mao Building. On May 6, 2009, it was disclosed that the State Council had approved the proposal to merge Nanhui District to Pudong.

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