History of the formation of Shanghai architectural appearance in the 19th-20th centuries

Despite vast research on Chinese architecture history by Chinese, Western, and Russian scientists, little is known about the formation of the Shanghai architectural look in XIX-XX centuries. The formation of the architectural appearance of the city took place under the strong influence of Western architecture which is traced in Shanghai today, primarily due to several historical reasons, the main of which is the period of Western semi-colonization (1840s-1940s), when many Western architects lived and worked in Shanghai. This study analyzes the development process of the urban environment of Shanghai in the period from the 19th to the 20th centuries, and the evolution of architectural styles and forms is traced using examples of architectural monuments. As a result of many years of history, Shanghai developed as a European city, which led to the predominance of Western architecture over traditional Chinese. Although the influence of Western trends is obvious, many buildings have become a kind of symbiosis of Chinese and Western traditions, creating a number of architectural trends.