上海市市区图 (Map of Shanghai Proper)

A striking large-format map of Shanghai produced during the early decades of the People’s Republic of China, depicting the city at a critical moment of post-revolutionary reconstruction and urban expansion. The map shows the full urban core on both sides of the Whangpoo (Huangpu) River, including the districts of Huangpu, Nanshi, Luwan, Chapei, Yangtszepoo, Kiang-wan, Fuhsing, Changning, and the central International Settlement area (here renamed and absorbed under PRC administration). Major transport arteries, public buildings, railway lines, industrial zones, and the early layout of Hongqiao and Lunghwa airports are clearly marked.

The map employs a distinctive combination of simplified Chinese characters and Wade–Giles romanization—a transitional practice abandoned after the nationwide adoption of pinyin in 1979—making it an important document of both linguistic and administrative history. District boundaries shown here predate later consolidations, offering a valuable snapshot of Shanghai’s mid-20th-century municipal organization.

This map captures Shanghai just before the major industrial pushes of the 1960s and long before the dramatic redevelopment of Pudong and the Huangpu riverfront. It records several districts and municipal divisions that have since been abolished or renamed, and showcases the transport and industrial infrastructures that shaped Shanghai’s early socialist-era growth. Examples of this size and clarity, produced by municipal bureaus for planning and civic reference, were issued in relatively small runs and are increasingly uncommon.