Here's Shenzhen, before and after tech. Shenzhen really was a fishing village in 1950, and a small town into the 1970s. All the action was in Hong Kong nearby. A local photographer has been taking pictures from the same spots every year since 1985.[1]

Population of Shenzhen:

    1950      3,000
    1960      8,000
    1970     22,000
    1980     59,000
    1990    875,000
    2000  7,193,000
    2010 10,223,000
    2020 12,357,000

Related:

Taipan by James Ckavelk.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai-Pan_(novel)

I had read it some years ago. Interesting depictions of that period, Hong Kong, interactions between the British and Chinese then, and more. Good writing, IMO.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clavell

Excerpt:

>Clavell wanted to write a second novel because "that separates the men from the boys".[21] The money from King Rat enabled him to spend two years researching and then writing what became Tai-Pan (1966). It was a huge best-seller, and Clavell sold the film rights for a sizeable amount (although the film would not be made until 1986).[22]

King Rat was also good.

Nice share but after reading the article my existing view that the area of greater Shanghai was an agricultural area without substantial urban development until the opium wars is unchallenged.

Nice to see some familiar spots. About 21 years ago I used to go to the Jing'An temple for lunch on weekends and chat with the monks. They had excellent vegetarian food in the temple, and often the monks would buy me lunch.

If you want to look at hydro-engineering wonders, the nearby grand canal is amazing. I would post a wayback machine link of a trip I did up there circa 2005 but archive.org are still half down right now.

Can't stand Shanghai - no nature.

Can I suggest you the novel "Maiden Voyage" by Denton Welch. Is a portrait of Shanghai in 1930 by an english boy

This kinda reminds me of how Edo (nowadays known as Tokyo) was a little fishing village back in the Sengoku period.

Loosely related, but two of my favourite quirks of historic international development / trade relating to China

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_International_Settl... The Americans/British and other European powers held and administered sovereign territory in Shanghai. Truly remarkable considering the historical implications.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_Factories

Also the “factories” in Canton each administered by a foreign power or “Hong” (i.e. Jardine Mathieson (worth a google if you are unfamiliar), the portraits on the wiki link paint an otherworldy romantic picture of what was a remarkably profitable and wild trade…

Not before f but United Kingdom, even though for Shanghai later it is not just. One can say up until 2019 also not just …