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 Between 1843 and 1943, Shanghai evolved from a small port on the entrance of the Yangtze to a major metropolis in east Asia. This was largely due to the presence and dominance of Europeans in Shanghai. During this period, two dozen foreign companies and architects built the most magnificent buildings in Shanghai within the boundaries of the International Settlement and the French Concession. Shanghai in the 1930s was “the pinnacle of the art of sumptuousness.” |