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Early History

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Shanghai is translated “City on the Sea,” and its position on the water is largely responsible for the complex history the city has experienced in recent years. Shanghai was founded somewhere around the 5th century A.D. as a fishing village, though archeological evidence indicates settlements dating back to 5,000 B.C. For centuries the city bounced around in the possession of various dynasties, eventually developing into a county seat under the Song dynasty.

In the early 1400s, the Ming Dynasty dredged the Huangpu River, significantly increasing access to the city. In the latter years of the Ming Dynasty, Shanghai grew to be a major cotton and textile center.



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