Originally a fishing village and market town, Shanghai grew to global prominence in the 19th century due to both domestic and foreign trade and its favorable port location. The city was one of five treaty ports forced to open to trade with the Europeans after the First Opium War. The Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession were subsequently established. The city then flourished, becoming a primary commercial and financial hub of Asia in the 1930s.
From Library of Congress.
