City history
From ancient fishing estuaries along the Yangtze Delta to the historic Xujiahui Observatory and the chimes of the Bund, Shanghai's identity and timekeeping evolved alongside its growth into a global metropolis.
Chapter one
Earliest documented name
"Fishing-trap estuary"
No pre-Chinese indigenous name is reliably recorded. The earliest documented local name for the Shanghai coastal area is Hudu, appearing in Jin Dynasty records around the 4th century CE. It referenced local bamboo fishing traps called hu used by fishermen in river estuaries.
Named after Lord Chunshen (Huang Xie) of the State of Chu
During the Warring States period, the area was part of the fief granted to Lord Chunshen (Huang Xie), who was credited with dredging the Huangpu River. Shen remains Shanghai's traditional nickname today.
Estuary of the bamboo fishing trap
Fishermen living along the local river estuary during the Jin Dynasty created bamboo fishing traps called hu. The character was later written as Hu (沪), serving as Shanghai's official modern single-character abbreviation.
Flowery Pavilion County
Established in 751 CE during the Tang Dynasty, Huating County was the primary administrative district covering the Shanghai region before Shanghai developed into an independent county seat.
Upon the Sea
Named after the Shanghai Pu river, a tributary of the Wusong River. Shanghai Town was formed in 1267 during the Song Dynasty, and Shanghai County was formally created in 1292 under the Yuan Dynasty.
Upon the Sea
On July 7, 1927, the Republic of China officially established Shanghai as a municipality directly under central administration, separating it from Jiangsu Province to form the modern municipal entity.
Chapter two
The Xujiahui Observatory, established by French Jesuits, began providing official astronomical time determination and drop-ball time signals for ships along the Huangpu River using Shanghai local mean solar time.
Chinese Maritime Customs and treaty port authorities adopted Coastal Time (GMT+8) centered on the 120th meridian east, establishing a uniform coastal standard standardizing local port times.
Following political unification under the Nationalist government, Shanghai officially standardized on Chungyuan Standard Time (GMT+8), the historical precursor to modern China Standard Time.
Shanghai observed daylight saving time for the first time on June 2, 1940, advancing local clocks by one hour during summer under wartime occupation regulations.
China implemented nationwide daylight saving time to conserve electricity. Shanghai advanced its clocks by one hour during summer months from May through September annually.
On September 15, 1991, China ended its nationwide daylight saving time program. Shanghai has observed year-round China Standard Time (UTC+8) without seasonal changes ever since.
Chapter three
French Catholic missionaries established the Xujiahui (Zikawei) Observatory, which grew into East Asia's premier center for meteorology, astronomy, and precise astronomical timekeeping.
Constructed on Sheshan Hill, the Sheshan Observatory housed a 40-centimeter twin refractor telescope, playing a key role in global sky mapping and international longitude determination.
Xujiahui Observatory inaugurated China's first wireless time broadcasts in May 1914, enabling ships in coastal waters and clockmakers across East Asia to synchronize timepieces accurately.
Manufactured in England by J.B. Joyce & Co and installed on the Bund waterfront, Asia's largest mechanical clock began operation on January 1, 1928, chiming hours across the Huangpu River.
Shanghai opened its first underground rapid transit corridor on April 10, 1995, establishing synchronized electronic timing systems that now manage the world's largest metro network by route length.