Shanghai

Twinned with Milan since 25 June 1979
Mayor: Gong Zheng
Permanent resident population: 24.870.000 inhabitants (2021)

Located on the Huangpu River, near the Yangtze River delta, it owes its origins to the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), although the constitution of Shanghai County was officially approved only in 1292 during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) .

With Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing, Shanghai is one of the four Chinese cities to enjoy the status of Municipality, an administrative level equal to that of the Provinces and Autonomous Regions; it is currently divided into 16 districts which also include Chongming, the third largest island in China.

Shanghai is China's largest economic center and an important global financial center. Various national-level economic and technological development zones have been established in Shanghai, active in strategic sectors such as the mechanical, chemical and medical industries, tourism, foreign trade and the financial sector.

Shanghai is an emerging global trade center and a major center of international shipping. The commercial interchange of the port of Shanghai occupies the first place in the world. Shanghai is also one of China's main air and maritime traffic hubs: its port is first in the world for container handling, while Shanghai Pudong Airport occupies third place globally and first place in China for traffic of goods.

The twinning

The twinning between Milan and Shanghai dates back to 1979: it was one of the first between a European city and one from the People's Republic of China and was relaunched and strengthened in light of the passing of the baton between the two Expos 2010 and 2015.

2015 then saw the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Jing'An District and Municipality 1 of the Municipality of Milan, followed by the 2016 Twinning between via Monte Napoleone and Nanjing Xi Road, the most important street in the luxury and fashion in Shanghai.

In 2019, however, the celebrations of the fortieth anniversary of the twinning were held, with a rich series of joint activities and events organized both in Milan and Shanghai.