Pudong New District

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Pudong seen from the Bund
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Pudong seen from the Bund

Pudong (浦东, pinyin: Pǔdōng), officially known as Pudong New District (浦东新区, pinyin: Pǔdōng Xīn Qū), is a district of Shanghai, China. Since the beginning of its development in 1990 when plans were first announced, Pudong has emerged as China's financial and commercial hub. Pudong is home to a skyline that includes the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Jin Mao Tower, symbolic of Shanghai and China's economic development.

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[edit] Location and geography

Pudong highlighted
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Pudong highlighted

Pudong literally means "East of (Huang)pu." Pudong is bounded by the Huangpu river in the west and the East China Sea in the east. It has an area of 522.8 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million people. Pudong is contrasted with Puxi, the older part of Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River.

Pudong is a large district and it may well be divided into smaller administrative districts in the future.

[edit] Government

Although districts of China are administratively on the same level as counties, the government of Pudong has a status equivalent to that of a sub-provincial city, which is one and a half levels above the counties of China. This is due to Pudong's importance as the financial hub of China.

[edit] Economy

Pudong used to be mainly farmland and countryside until 1990, when the Chinese government decided to set up a Special Economic Zone in the district. The western tip of the Pudong district was designated to be the new financial hub of the modern China called the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. Several landmark buildings were constructed in Lujiazui during 1990s to raise the image and awareness of the area. These include the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Jin Mao Building.

Waigaoqiao is the largest free trade zone in mainland China covering approximately 10 km² in north-east Pudong. The Jinqiao Export Processing Zone is another major industrial area in Pudong covering 19 km². Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park is a special area for technology-oriented businesses, covering 17 km² in central Pudong.

[edit] Transportation

Pudong International Airport opened its doors in 1999, the same year as Shanghai Metro Line 2 commenced services between Puxi and Pudong. A magnetic levitation train began operating in 2004, moving passengers between the airport and Long Yang Road Metro station.

Pudong is also connected to Puxi by several tunnels and four major bridges. The first of these bridges were the Nanpu Bridge (1991) and the Yangpu Bridge (1993). The Xupu Bridge opened in 1996. The latest of these is Lupu Bridge, which is the world's longest arch bridge and was completed in 2002.

Pudong's gross domestic product reached US$25.13 billion in 2002.

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[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
edit County-level divisions of Shanghai
Districts: Huangpu | Luwan | Xuhui | Changning | Jing'an | Putuo | Zhabei | Hongkou | Yangpu | Pudong
Baoshan | Minhang | Jiading | Jinshan | Songjiang | Qingpu | Nanhui | Fengxian
County: Chongming
see also: Township-level divisions of Shanghai
Oriental Pearl Tower