Shanghai, literally 'Above the Sea', is a port city on the Huangpu River, where the Yangtze River empties into the East China Sea. Originally a fishing and textiles town, the city gained its identity after it was opened to foreign powers by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The British, French, Americans, Germans, and Russians moved in, setting up their distinct Western-style banks, trading houses, and mansions, leaving a permanent architectural legacy.