Government1 of 20
Treaty of Nanking opens Shanghai
《南京条约》开放上海
The treaty that ended the First Opium War opened Shanghai, with four other ports, to British trade and residence.
Foreign settlement
The foreign settlements
From 1845 to 1943 most of central Shanghai lay in one of four foreign-run settlements. Each has its own page: its boundaries over today's map, the key dates, how it was run, and which of the places on this site stood inside it.
- 01
1845–1863 · 2,820 mu at its largest · 27 places on this site
The first foreign settlement, laid out north of the walled city under the Land Regulations of 29 November 1845 and run by a Committee of Roads and Jetties until the Municipal Council was elected in 1854; it merged with the American Settlement in 1863.
- 02
1848–1863 · 7,856 mu at its largest · 5 places on this site
The American ground in Hongkou, north of Suzhou Creek, where the Episcopal mission settled from 1848; its limits were never formally fixed before it joined the British Settlement in 1863 to form the International Settlement.
- 03
1849–1943 · 15,150 mu at its largest · 33 places on this site
Granted on 6 April 1849 between the walled city and the Yangjingbang, 986 mu, and run from 1862 by its own council under the French consul; it grew to 2,135 mu in 1900 and 15,150 mu in 1914, reaching Xujiahui, and was handed back on 30 July 1943.
- 04
1863–1943 · 33,503 mu at its largest · 44 places on this site
The united British and American settlements from 1863, governed by the Shanghai Municipal Council; the extension of 8 May 1899 made it 33,503 mu, divided into Central, Northern, Eastern and Western districts, until it was handed back on 1 August 1943.
Areas are in Chinese mu (亩), the unit the sources use: 1 mu is about 667 m², a sixth of an acre; 15 mu make a hectare.
Old street names: find today's name for a road in the settlements
Boundaries over today's map
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Boundaries in 1846
- Chinese walled city上海县城（老城厢）1553–1914
- British Settlement, 1845英租界（1845）1845-11-29–1848-11-27 · 1,080 mu
Boundaries in 1849
- Chinese walled city上海县城（老城厢）1553–1914
- British Settlement, 1848英租界（1848 扩展）1848-11-27–1863-09-21 · 2,820 mu
- American Settlement (Hongkou)美租界（虹口）1848–1863-09-21 · 7,856 mu · approximate line
- French Concession, 1849法租界（1849）1849-04-06–1900-01-27 · 986 mu
Boundaries in 1863
- Chinese walled city上海县城（老城厢）1553–1914
- French Concession, 1849法租界（1849）1849-04-06–1900-01-27 · 986 mu
- French riverside strip, 1861法租界小东门外扩展（1861）1861-10-30–1943-07-30 · 37 mu · approximate line
- International Settlement, 1863英美租界 / 公共租界（1863）1863-09-21–1899-05-08 · 10,676 mu · approximate line
Boundaries in 1900
- Chinese walled city上海县城（老城厢）1553–1914
- French riverside strip, 1861法租界小东门外扩展（1861）1861-10-30–1943-07-30 · 37 mu · approximate line
- International Settlement, 1899公共租界（1899 扩展）1899-05-08–1943-08-01 · 33,503 mu · approximate line
- French Concession, 1900法租界（1900 扩展）1900-01-27–1914-09-14 · 2,135 mu
Boundaries in 1914
- Chinese walled city上海县城（老城厢）1553–1914
- French riverside strip, 1861法租界小东门外扩展（1861）1861-10-30–1943-07-30 · 37 mu · approximate line
- International Settlement, 1899公共租界（1899 扩展）1899-05-08–1943-08-01 · 33,503 mu · approximate line
- French Concession, 1914法租界（1914 扩展）1914-09-14–1943-07-30 · 15,150 mu
Boundary lines follow today’s streets where the old creeks and roads ran; dashed lines are inferred. Expect errors of a street or two, not more.
Dotted lines from 1900: the Central, Northern, Eastern and Western districts of the International Settlement, as the Council used them; it never printed a definition, so the lines follow Suzhou Creek, Xizang Road and Hongkou Creek as its usage implies.
Timeline
Click a year on the axis to read what happened and set the map to that period.
Government2 of 20
The port is declared open
上海正式开埠
George Balfour, the first British consul, arrived on 8 November 1843 and declared the port open in the same month; the gazetteer gives 17 November, Pott 14 November.
Boundary3 of 20
Land Regulations set aside 830 mu
《土地章程》划定约830亩
Daotai Gong Mujiu published the Land Regulations agreed with Balfour, reserving about 830 mu between the Yangjingbang, Lijiachang and the river for British merchants, with no western limit and no Chinese residents.
Boundary4 of 20
Barrier Road closes the rectangle, 1,080 mu
界路划定西界，1,080亩
The western boundary was fixed at a new road, Barrier Road, today's Henan Road Central, and the settlement measured 1,080 mu.
Boundary5 of 20
Americans settle in Hongkou
美国人在虹口落脚
Bishop Boone's mission had rented land across Suzhou Creek; the daotai agreed that Hongkou could serve as an American settlement, with no boundary fixed.
Boundary6 of 20
Extension to Suzhou Creek and the Defence Creek, 2,820 mu
扩至苏州河与泥城浜，2,820亩
After the Qingpu incident, consul Alcock pressed for more ground and daotai Lin Gui extended the settlement north to Suzhou Creek and west to the Zhoujing creek, today's Xizang Road.
Boundary7 of 20
The French Concession, 986 mu
法租界设立，986亩
Daotai Lin Gui and consul Montigny exchanged letters creating a French concession between the Yangjingbang, the city moat, the river and the Guandi temple at Zhujia bridge.
People8 of 20
The Small Swords take the walled city
小刀会占领县城
Chinese families fled into the settlements and the rule of separate residence collapsed; the settlement's population passed 20,000 that year.
Government9 of 20
The Municipal Council is elected
工部局成立
The land renters, under the British, American and French consuls, adopted revised Land Regulations and elected a Municipal Council with power to levy rates and hire police.
Government10 of 20
The French set up their own council
法租界公董局成立
Consul Edan created a municipal council for the French Concession by consular order, whose decisions needed his approval; the two foreign towns were governed separately from then on.
Boundary11 of 20
British and American settlements unite
英美租界合并
The two settlements north of the Yangjingbang were united under one council; from 1899 the merged area was called the International Settlement.
Boundary12 of 20
Forty boundary stones in Hongkou
虹口界石四十块
The American section's line, proposed by consul Seward in 1863, was finally surveyed and marked with forty stones on 10–11 June 1893; the settlement then measured 10,676 mu.
Boundary13 of 20
The great extension, 33,503 mu
公共租界大扩张，33,503亩
The daotai's proclamation extended the settlement east to Zhoujiazui, west to Jing'an Temple and north to the county line, more than tripling its area.
Boundary14 of 20
French Concession extends west, 2,135 mu
法租界第一次扩张，2,135亩
The extension agreed in June 1899 and proclaimed in January 1900 took the concession west to Gujiazhai, today's Chongqing Road.
Boundary15 of 20
French Concession reaches Xujiahui, 15,150 mu
法租界扩至徐家汇，15,150亩
The Yuan Shikai government gave the French council police and taxation powers over its outside roads; the concession became fifteen times its original size and kept this shape to 1943.
People16 of 20
May Thirtieth
五卅惨案
Police of the Louza station fired on demonstrators on Nanking Road; the strike and boycott that followed changed the settlement's politics.
Government17 of 20
Chinese members join the Council; the parks open
华董入局，公园开放
Three Chinese councillors took their seats in April 1928 and the Council's parks opened to Chinese residents from 1 June; the number of Chinese seats rose to five in 1930.
The end18 of 20
Japanese troops enter the Settlement
日军进占公共租界
On the morning of 8 December 1941 Japanese troops crossed the Suzhou Creek bridges; the French Concession, under Vichy, was not occupied.
The end19 of 20
The settlements are handed over
租界交还
Britain and the United States gave up extraterritoriality by treaty on 11 January 1943; the Wang Jingwei government took over the French Concession on 30 July and the International Settlement on 1 August 1943.
The end20 of 20
The Sino-French treaty closes the account
中法条约完成交还
The treaty of 28 February 1946 completed the legal return of the French Concession after the war, and the former settlements became districts of the city.