Shanghai is one of the four
direct-controlled municipalities of
People's Republic of China, and is further divided into
15 districts and 1 county. There is no single downtown district in Shanghai as the urban core is scattered across several districts, although
Huangpu District is generally considered the center of Shanghai. Today's Huangpu is the result of the mergers of three old districts: the original Huangpu District merged with
Nanshi District in 2000, and in 2011
Luwan District also merged into Huangpu. Huangpu is now the location of the city hall,
The Bund, and shopping areas including the famous
Nanjing Road,
Huaihai Road, and
Xintiandi. Across the
Huangpu River,
Pudong New Area includes
Lujiazui, the financial center of Shanghai as well as China, and has been undergoing rapid development since its formation in 1992. In April 2009
Nanhui District was merged into Pudong. Other prominent business and shopping areas include
Xujiahui in
Xuhui District, Jing'an Temple in
Jing'an District,
Hongqiao in
Changning District,
Wujiaochang in
Yangpu District, and North Sichuan Road in
Hongkou District. Many universities in Shanghai are located in
Yangpu,
Minhang, and
Songjiang Districts.