Pudong, China

Pudong seen from the Bund

Oriental Pearl Tower

Jin Mao Building

Pudong skyline at night

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. It is perhaps most well known as an economic development and financial zone.

Location and Geography

Pudong literally means "East of Huangpu". 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 might be possible that it will be divided into smaller administrative districts in the future.

Shanghai district map highlighting Pudong

Government

Although districts of China are administratively on the same level as counties, the government of Pudong is given 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.

Economy

Pudong used to be mainly farmland and countryside until 1990 when 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 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 the north-east Pudong. 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.

Transportation

Pudong International Airport opened its doors in 1999, same year as Shanghai Metro line 2 opened service between Puxi and Pudong. Maglev train opened into trial service in 2002 moving passengers between the airport and Long Yang Road Metro station.

Pudong is connected to Puxi also by several tunnels and four major bridges. First of these major bridges were Nanpu Bridge (1991) and Yangpu Bridge (1993). 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 GDP reached USD $25.13 billion in 2002.