Shanghai began as a part of the Songjiang Country in a nameless form. It was Lord Chunshen who brought his people to this area around the Huangpu River , which is also called as the Chunshen River to honor the first king who brought his people to this area. Part of name of Shanghai comes from 'shen' which is a part of Chunshen. The other part originates from 'Hu', which was a fishing tool used locally in this area. Over time, 'Shen' and 'Hu' became ' Shanghai '.

All through the Qin Dynasty, Shanghai remained nameless, but did establish business contacts with other areas of the world. It was during the Oing Dynasty that the name of Shanghai grew far and strong. In the nineteenth century, Shanghai 's central location made it a force to reckon with in the field of business.

Shanghai has seen some turmoil due to Chang Kai-shek and the Second World War. Chang Kai-shek captured Shanghai for a while, and it was almost immediately invaded during the Second World War by the Japanese during the World War. Shanghai has also been under the control of the Allied Powers in the War, but in the 1940s, all these powers relinquished their rights on this city. The US and Britain were the first to leave their powers in 1943, followed by the French in 1946. That is the reason why today's Shanghai is reminiscent of all these cultures.