“Virtual Shanghai”: database sheds new light on city’s historic development

The sprawling Virtual Shanghai website brings to light the history of the city via a huge virtual database composed of plans and photos from 1900 to present day, with a specific focus on the modern period.

There are many gems to be found on the blog such as an article with a plan of wartime industries in Shanghai, a geographical distribution of cemeteries and funeral homes in contemporary Shanghai, or hydrographic surveys of Shanghai in 1855 from Hong Kong. This research work of a geographical nature was carried out by French researcher, Christian Henriot, and institutions such as the East Asia Institute, the University of Lyon and the French University Institute.