Written by
Carol CairnsMay 25, 2012
Shanghai is located on the east coast of China, south of Beijing and north of Hong Kong. With a population of 23 million people, moving people and product around is a challenge.
Shanghai's Chinese characters translate to Upon-The-Sea. Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River and has the world's busiest container port. Shanghai is China's commercial and financial center.
A new private car cannot be driven until the owner buys a license in the monthly private car license plate auction. Around 8,000 license plates are auctioned each month and the average price is about 45,291 RMB ($7,500). The purpose of this policy is to limit the growth of automobile traffic and to alleviate congestion.
Despite the number of people moving on bicycles and motorcycles, in cars and buses, traffic flows amazingly well but at a slower pace than Canadians are accustomed to.