Welcome to Shanghai. Shanghai is situated on the banks of the Yangtza River Delta in Eastern China. It is the largest city in China and the ninth largest city in the world. Shanghai has a population of 24.3 million, including a transient population of 9.8 million. Widely regarded as the citadel of China's modern economy, the city also serves as one of the most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers of China. Shanghai also has one of the world's busiest ports, and has become the largest cargo port in the world.

Originally, Shanghai was a seaside fishing village and with time, became China's most prominent city. By the 21th century, Shanghai became the center of popular culture, intellectual discourse and political intrigue in the Republic of China. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Shanghai was considered the largest commercial city in the Far East, and the third largest financial center in the world, ranking after New York City and London.
Modern Shanghai has three key attractions of interest to the visitor, including Sightseeing, Business centers and Shopping malls located in the People's Square and along the Huangpu River. The main Entertainment and Holiday Tourism areas are located at Mt. Sheshan, Chongming Island, Dingshan Lake and Shenshuigang Area.
A wide variety of cuisines can be found in the city. Shanghai offers a plethora of culinary delights focusing on the gourmet traditions of Beijing, Yangzhou, Sichuan and Guangzhou, as well as its own local dishes. Shanghai's restaurants are among the finest to be found in China, and they welcome diners from anywhere at any time. Shanghai continues to grow and prosper, meeting the aspirations of the 21st century, whilst retaining its proud traditions of service and hospitality. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Center, Shanghai Xintiandi, Disney, and Pudong International Airport, are the modern symbols of an international metropolis, whilst the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre and Shanghai City Planning Exhibition Center are evidence of the extensive and deep passion of a great city that extends a warm welcome to friends from all over the world.
Shanghai has been one of the world’s most popular destinations for meetings, conferences and incentives, premier international academic conferences, such as PIC2016, ICASSP2016，Coling2010, ICCV2005, ICML2014, IJCAI2013 and KDD2012. Facilitated with all the necessary resources, Shanghai will be a perfect choice for the upcoming Interspeech 2020.


Historical
Shanghai’s ancient history traces back to the Spring and Autumn period, when the Shanghai area belonged to the Kingdom of Wu. International attention to Shanghai grew in the 19th century due to European recognition of its economic and trade potential at the Yangtze. During the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai became the center for radical leftism And finally permitted to initiate economic reforms in 1991. Until now, Shanghai is China’s biggest economic center and the world’s biggest trading harbor.
It’s generally recognized that Shanghai is the best place to know China’s recent two hundred years of history.



Cultural
Shanghai is sometimes considered a center of innovation and progress in China. It was in Shanghai, for example, that the first motor car was driven and (technically) the first train tracks and modern sewers were laid. In the past years Shanghai has been widely recognized as a new influence and inspiration for cyberpunk culture. Futuristic buildings such as the Oriental Pearl Tower and the neon-illuminated Yan'an Elevated Road are a few examples that have helped to boost Shanghai's cyberpunk image.

Economy
Shanghai is the commercial and financial center of mainland China, and ranks 16th in the 2016 edition of the Global Financial Centres Index published by the Z/Yen Group and Qatar Financial Centre Authority. It was the largest and most prosperous city in East Asia during the 1930s, and rapid re-development began in the 1990s. This is exemplified by the Pudong District, a former swampland reclaimed to serve as a pilot area for integrated economic reforms.

Environment
The extensive public park system in Shanghai offers the citizens some reprieve from the urban jungle. Some of the parks, aside from offering a green public space to locals, became popular tourist attractions due to their unique location, history or architecture. The former racetrack turned central park, People's Square park, located in the heart of downtown Shanghai, is especially well known for its proximity to other major landmarks in the city.
The Shanghai Disney Resort Project was approved by the government on 4 November 2009, and opened in 2016. The $4.4 billion theme park and resort in Pudong features a castle that is the biggest among Disney's resorts.

Transport
Shanghai has two integrated traffic hub, Pudong and Hongqiao, making it the hub of communications, with good railway and air links with all the other parts of China, as well as with major cities of the world, thus facilitating the rapid development of tourism as an important industry in Shanghai.
And for urban transport, Shanghai has an extensive public transport system, largely based on metros, buses and taxis. As of 2014, there are 14 metro lines (excluding the Shanghai Maglev Train and Jinshan Railway), 329 stations and 538 km of tracks in operation, making it the longest network in the world.

Time and Weather
The Interspeech 2020 is proposed to be held in the end of August. This time enables most researchers in the world to attend because universities are mostly in summer vacation.
Shanghai's latitude relative to the equator is about the same as New Orleans, Brisbane, or Cairo. Shanghai has good weather in the end of August -- the sky becomes more clear and the temperature cools down. The average temperature in this period is between 32C (89.6F) and 25C (77F).

Costs of Living Overview
RMB (Renminbi) is the official currency. The basic unit of RMB is Yuan, also known as Kuai, divided into 10 Jiao (100 cents). Yuan notes come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 50 and 100. The current exchange rate with EUR is about 7.45 RMB/EUR.
● Cost of taxi from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to conference center: 150 RMB
● Bus and subway fares: 3-7 RMB
● Regular meal: 20-60 RMB
● Coffee and refreshment: 20-50 RMB
● Ticket for the cinema: 40-80 RMB
● Ticket for the theatre: 100 RMB
● Museum entrance: 20 RMB
● Newspapers: 0.5-2 RMB
● Souvenirs and gifts: 100 RMB
● VAT in China: Included in prices, no additional VAT needed


*Included in the registration fee