英語范文背誦精華 21.2 shanghai
Shanghai--the Pearl of the Orient
Shanghai,literally known as “a port on the sea”, is one of the world’s largest seaports and China’s major industrial and commercial center.With its deepening economic reform, this city, formerly crowned as the financial, economic and trade hub of the Far East, is playing a leading role in boosting economic development in the Yangtze River valley. Meanwhile, Shanghai attracts millions of Chinese and overseas tourists with its unique charm.
As an international metropolis, Shanghai provides direct flights to over 20 cities in the world, such as Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Brussels, Frankfurt, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney.Known to the world as the Oriental Pearl, Shanghai is China’s major eastern gate to the outside world.
As early as in the Tang and Song dynasties, Shanghai functioned as China’s key foreign trade port and had mercantile ties with Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.
During the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai turned into a navigation hub and metropolis in southeast China which attracted numerous merchants and countless ships to the Huangpu River. What a spectacle of prosperity during that period!
In the 1950s, Shanghai replaced Guangzhou as China’s foreign trade center and has remained so ever since. Today, this well-known international port has developed into China’s important center of economy, finance, trade, science and technology, information and culture.
One of the noted historic and cultural cities in China, Shanghai has over 70 sites of historical interest and cultural relics under the protection of the state and the unicipal governments, which best represent the distinctive characteristics of Shanghai egional culture.
Meanwhile, Shanghai is a cherished paradise for gourmets, who may find themselves frequenting the many thousands of restaurants that serve a complete list of China’s major well-known cuisines, such as those of Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, Yangzhou, Fujian, to name just a few.
In addition, one may easily find his way to those competing foreign food restaurants featuring French, Russian, Italian, British, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Indian cuisines.
On top of that, authentic Muslim and vegetarian foods may very well satisfy the palate of those religious enthusiasts and interested individuals.
Known as the “Exhibition of the World’s Architecture”, Shanghai has a complete collection of buildings with different architectural styles along the Bund and elsewhere
in the city.
The Finance and Trade Building, the International Convention Center and the Oriental Pearl Television Tower in Pudong, flant by the magnificent Nanpu and Yangpu bridges, which are connected by the city’s elevated inner beltway, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theater and Shanghai Urban Palnning Exhibition Center standing on the People's Square, all these brings Shanghai a brand new look.
Shanghai is also a tourist destination that boasts quite a few tourizs attractions and holiday resorts, including Sheshan State Holiday Resort, Dianshan Lake Scenic Area, the Sunshine Island Holiday Resort, the World Garden, the Dreamland, and the Wildlife Zoo.
Every year Shanghai hosts a variety of tourist festivals, such as the New Year’s Greeting Bell Toll at Longhua Temple on the eve of the Chinese new year,the Longhua Temple Fair, the Peach Blossom Festival in Nanhui County, the International Tea Culture Festival in spring, Shanghai Huangpu Tourist Festival in autumn and Shanghai Sweet Osmanthus Festival.These fascinating festivals with distinctive Shanghai regional culture attract numerous participating tourists from both home and abroad.
Shanghai culture is the result of combining the cultures of the south and the north, and melting the cultures of the east and the west. The sea admits hundreds of rivers for its capicity to hold, Shanghai is great tolerrance originates from its history of sufficient opening-up.The rapid rise of Shanghai owes so much to its reform and opening to the outside world.
In its historical development, Shanghai became a small town in the Song Dynasty,a county in the Yuan Dynasty, and a walled city in the Ming Dynasty. Shanghai is by no means a shining star among the numerous bright stars of China's famous ancient cities, not comparable with distance cities like Xi'an Kai'feng and Luo'yang, nor with near cities like Nan'jing ,Su'zhou,Hang'zhou. Shanghai has accelerated its development at an unusual speed, since it was opened to the outside world, she has started a new round of rapid development since China initiated its reform and opening drive, particularly since the early 1990's. The city is changing and taking on a new look with each passing day. Pressing ahead along the road of building itself into a modernized international metropolis with remarkable achivements recoganized by the whole world.
Vist Xi'an, and you will know China's history of 2000 years; visit Beijing and you will know China's history of 500 years; visit Shanghai and you will know China's history of 100 years. Shanghai has become the symble of modern Chinese cities. History has favored and also round the city of Shanghai. History now in trusts with Shanghai a rare opportunity of development. Shanghai residents of the 20th century are not only bright but also smart, and above all wise people with a broad vision and great courage, they speak not only Shanghainese but also mandarin and international languages, possessing the qualities of world citizens. Shanghai of 21th century will inevitably assume the role of an international economic, financial and trade center.
The world focuses its attention on China and in particular, on Shanghai. As one of the most promising cities of the planet Earth, Shanghai cordially welcomes friends from all over the world.
