GTA 6 in Shanghai, China – Video by François Soulignac, May 2018.

GTA 6 in Shanghai, Content description

Shooting locations: Julu Road, Shanghai, China (巨鹿路, 上海, 中国). GTA 6 将上海做为游戏背景城市. Grand Theft Auto 6 in Shanghai with Lucas L. aka Nico Bellic. Musics: Michel Hunter, Masiwei. © Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. in the USA and/or other foreign countries. Other formats: Instagram, Vimeo, Miaopai, Sina Weibo.

上海 Etymology

The two Chinese characters in the city’s name are 上 (shàng/zan, “upon”) and 海 (hǎi/hae, “sea”), together meaning “Upon the Sea”. The earliest occurrence of this name dates from the 11th-century Song dynasty, when there was already a river confluence and a town with this name in the area. How the name should be understood has been disputed, but Chinese historians have concluded that during the Tang dynasty, the area of modern-day Shanghai was under the sea level, so the land appeared to be literally “on the sea”. Shanghai is officially abbreviated 沪 (Hù/Vu) in Chinese, a contraction of 沪渎 (Hù Dú/Vu Doh, lit “Harpoon Ditch”), a 4th- or 5th-century Jin name for the mouth of Suzhou Creek when it was the main conduit into the ocean. This character appears on all motor vehicle license plates issued in the municipality today. (Source)

上海 Alternative names

申 (Shēn) or 申城 (Shēnchéng, “Shen City”) was an early name originating from Lord Chunshen, a 3rd-century BC nobleman and prime minister of the state of Chu, whose fief included modern Shanghai. Shanghainese sports teams and newspapers often use Shen in their names, such as Shanghai Shenhua F.C. and Shen Bao. 华亭 (Huátíng) was another early name for Shanghai. In AD 751 during the mid-Tang dynasty, Huating County was established by Zhao Juzhen, the governor of Wu Commandery, at modern-day Songjiang, the first county-level administration within modern-day Shanghai. The first five-star hotel in the city was named after Huating. 魔都 (Módū, lit “Demon City”), a contemporary nickname for Shanghai, is widely known among the youth. The name was first mentioned in Shōfu Muramatsu’s 1924 novel Mato, which portrayed Shanghai as a dichotomic city where both light and darkness existed. The city has various nicknames in English, including “Pearl of the Orient” and “Paris of the East”. (Source)

© GTA 6 in Shanghai, China. Shooting and editing by François Soulignac 付穌 Soic Miterne, Shanghai, May 2018.