Once nothing more than a fishing village, the fortunes and destiny of Shanghai changed forever when the British opened their first concession here in 1842. They were soon followed by the French and the Japanese. Already by 1900, Shanghai achieved international status as Asia’s foremost center for commerce. It was the driver behind the region’s booming trade in tea, silk and opium. Since then Shanghai is changing faster than one can look. But next to the modern futuristic buildings there are still many of the colonial relics of Shanghai’s once decadent but glorious past. Especially strolling through the neighborhoods of the French Quarter and watching the Bund illuminated by night one can feel this nostalgia. Especially beyond the younger people, Shanghai is also famous for its shopping-possibilities and its glamorous nightlife.