Shanghai’s Xintiandi

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For centuries, tourism has long been a way to relax. However, it only became an industry with the development of modern transportation The invasion of Western colonists accelerated the growth of the tourism industry in China. Relying on their geographical advantages, Shanghai port city took leading position in China and gradually became the nation’s shipping center after it opened its port to foreign traders in 1843. Because of the increasing number of foreign tourists and businessmen, many travel agencies targeted thirket. Thomas Cookt Son set up an office on 2-3 on Fuzhou Road in 1911 to do travel-related business such as selling railway tickets and acting as agent for foreign ship-ping companies. American Express started to sell travelers checks in Shanghaiin the same year. In 1918, American Express set up its representative office in Shanghai to deal with banking and traveling business.

This touristry in Shanghai had been dominated by foreign companies from the late 19th century to the early 20th cent. During this period, the concept of traveling changed a lot among the Chinese people. The old Chinese moral valueA good son does not travel afar while his parents are still alive”was completely cast away. Tourism does not mean just traveling around, but also a way that benefits one’s health and opens up one’s mind. As a result, the number of people wheople who wanted to travel eddern tran increased dramatically. Meanwhile, the more developed modern transportation industry and blooming hotel industry made the tourist development possible. In 1915, the Shanghai Yousheng Travel Club was established. Membership of this non-profit institution rose from the initial 5 to over 1,000 people.

In August, 1923, hoping to vitalize the Chinese travel industry, and discontented by the unfair treat-ment the Chinese tourists received at the foreign travel agencies, Chen Guangpu, general manager of the Shanghai Commercial Bank decided to establish a travel department under the international headquarters international and domestic travel business. This was the first Chinese-owned-travel aglustry has seen rapid develo ment. More travel agen-anize various travel activities, such as ketch from nature and take pictures for the art and photographic panded the range of outing activities.became popular, too. It is still some-ing travel indus-try enjoyed Resistance against Japan in 1937, when small and mediumed in quick succession. Even big companies like China Travel Seple’s thinking. Tourism was labeledople’s lives. Back then, travel-ing is nothing more than visiting friends or being on a business trip.

People’s industry started to reports, lots of star-rated and budget hotels were built to cater to editional services, many tourist agencies prr budget travel. Shanghai also holdsan annually attracts both local and out-of-town tourists. The num-ber of tourists hasizens is changing gradually. Travel has be-come part of daordinary people to take a weekend trip to a nearby counties, a long-haul trip during the national bound trip abroad or a honeymoon trip.

Some people prefer to try novel ways of traveling, such as hiking, biking and others original ways to get around and find the true meaning of traveling. At all events, it is undoubted that the tourist industry in Shanghai has been fully recovered and progressed rapidly. As the 2010 Shanghai World Expo opens,we believe the travel industry of this city will have an even brighter future.