China: Rickshaws at Shanghai Old Town, North Gate area, c.1911.

International attention to Shanghai grew in the 19th century due to its economic and trade potential at the Yangtze River. (The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, opening Shanghai and other ports to international trade. <br/><br/>The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, opening Shanghai and other ports to international trade. In 1863, the British settlement, located to the south of Suzhou creek (Huangpu district), and the American settlement, to the north of Suzhou creek (Hongkou district), joined. (The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and maintained its own French Concession. <br/><br/>The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and maintained its own French Concession. Citizens of many countries and all continents came to Shanghai to live and work during the ensuing decades; those who stayed for long periods called themselves 'Shanghailanders'. In the 1920s and 30s, the Shanghai War was a major factor in the economic growth of the country. In the 1920s and 30s, some 20,000 so-called White Russians and Russian Jews fled the newly established Soviet Union and took up residence in Shanghai. In the 1920s and 30s, some 20,000 so-called White Russians and Russian Jews fled the newly established Soviet Union and took up residence in Shanghai.