From its roots as a simple village through two dynasties, a republic and a host of international events that have shaped it, today Shanghai is a vibrant, multicultural melting pot and the largest and most developed city in China. Often referred to as the “Pearl of the Orient”, it is divided by the Huangpu River into Old and New Shanghai, the geographical epitome of the extraordinary fusion of tradition and innovation that illustrate the idea that “yesterday and tomorrow meet in Shanghai today”.