Shanghai was first opened up to the outside world by the expansion of foreign nations abroad. Several waves of immigrants arrived, at first domestic, then from around the world; the homogenous world of the Qing dynasty population was suddenly shattered. For the first time, there was a mixture of Chinese and foreigners living together in the city. On the heels of the Peasant War of Taiping, more domestic immigrants converged on Shanghai, pushing out and developing the surrounding regions to as far away as Suzhou and Shangyang. This first tide of immigrants was welcomed, along with the following movements that created a densely-populated central city area.

The immigrant settlers who had arrived from all parts of China prospered and rapidly became full Shanghai citizens. At about the same time, foreign immigrants in Shanghai seized the opportunities offered by the city, pioneering enterprises, developing the city, and linking it together to becoming its own part of the Shanghai community.

The waves of newcomers brought to Shanghai not only a labor pool, but also ideas regarding how Shanghai should develop. They also brought valuable funding and technological knowledge to the city. Hence the city is no longer based upon a cottage industry, but has a modern industrialized economy. This caused several major changes to the city, most of all changing the Shanghai people themselves. The congregating of foreigners and Chinese from around the country created an open and friendly society. Successful people from around the world formed a competitive business atmosphere that helped the city and its residents, old and new, to forge ahead and develop the city, white at the same time develop their own abilities and experiences. experience and initiative.

In the 1950s, new domestic immigrants still flocked to Shanghai, although by that time most of the cities international residents had already departed. Down to 1958, the domestic immigration coming to Shanghai became increasingly limited; at the same time a considerable number of experienced workers a professionals moved out from the centre city to support the inland and border areas. During the ten-year period of the "Cultural Revolution" upheavals, many cadres and graduates were forced to move out of the city. Their total numbers eventually reached nearly two million, forming the peek of the settlement of the city's surrounding countryside. In this way were the city's surrounds developed.

In the more recent years of reform and opening up to the outside world, numerous foreign entrepreneurs and technicians have once again settled in Shanghai, to join the Shanghai people of the new era. In this period of renewed settlement, the city has reopened its doors to the outside world to reveal anew its many charms, and has in turn been rendered into a truly international metropolis. We can proudly say: "Immigration is a stimulating force in the development of Shanghai. It activates various intrinsic forces in our city, making the city more energetic".