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The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
Ipoh developed into one of Malaysia's main cities around the turn of the 19th century due to the booming tin mining industry. During the British colonial era, Ipoh was Malaysia's second city for administrative purposes.
Kuala Lumpur, founded in 1857, sits at the confluence of the Gombak and Kelang Rivers. The name means 'muddy river mouth' in Malay.<br/><br/>The settlement started when Raja Abdullah, a member of the royal family of Selangor, opened the Klang valley to Chinese prospectors. A tin mine was established, encouraging traders to move in. As the settlement grew in importance, the British rulers of Malaya appointed a headman, called ‘Kapitan Cina’, to administer the settlement and ensure law and order; at this time Kuala Lumpur was very much a rough frontier town and gang warfare was common.<br/><br/>The growing town was made capital of Selangor in 1880, and when the Federated Malay States were established in 1896, Kuala Lumpur became capital.<br/><br/>During the Second World War Japanese forces occupied the city between 1942 and 1945.<br/><br/>After independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was made the capital of the Federation of Malaya, then of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In 1974 Kuala Lumpur was detached from Selangor and made a Federal Territory.
Rickshaws (or rickshas) are a mode of human-powered transport: a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two persons. Rickshaws are commonly made with bamboo. The word rickshaw came from Asia, where they were mainly used as means of transportation for the social elite. In recent times the use of rickshaws has been discouraged or outlawed in many countries due to concern for the welfare of rickshaw workers.<br/><br/> Runner-pulled rickshaws have mainly been replaced by cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws. The term 'rickshaw' is today commonly used for those vehicles as well.<br/><br/> The word 'rickshaw' originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha, which literally means 'man-powered vehicle'.
International attention to Shanghai grew in the 19th century due to its economic and trade potential at the Yangtze River. During the First Opium War (1839–1842), British forces temporarily held the city. The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, opening Shanghai and other ports to international trade.<br/><br/> 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 to form the International Settlement. The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and maintained its own French Concession.<br/><br/> Citizens of many countries 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, some 20,000 so-called White Russians and Russian Jews fled the newly established Soviet Union and took up residence in Shanghai. By 1932, Shanghai had become the world's fifth largest city and home to 70,000 foreigners.
Delhi is said to be the site of Indraprashta, capital of the Pandavas of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Excavations have unearthed shards of painted pottery dating from around 1000 BCE, though the earliest known architectural relics date from the Mauryan Period, about 2,300 years ago. Since that time the site has been continuously settled.<br/><br/> The city was ruled by the Hindu Rajputs between about 900 and 1206 CE, when it became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate. In the mid-seventeenth century the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628–1658) established Old Delhi in its present location, including most notably the Red Fort or Lal Qila. The Old City served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1638 onwards.<br/><br/> Delhi passed under British control in 1857 and became the capital of British India in 1911. In large scale rebuilding, parts of the Old City were demolished to provide room for a grand new city designed by Edward Lutyens. New Delhi became the capital of independent India in 1947.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
Shanghai (Chinese: 上 海; Pinyin Shànghǎi) is one of the largest cities by population in the People's Republic of China, and the world. The city is located in eastern China, at the middle portion of the Chinese coast, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Due to its rapid growth over the last two decades it has again become a global city, exerting influence over finance, commerce, fashion, technology and culture.<br/><br/> Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and was one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The city then flourished as a centre of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined.<br/><br/> In 1990, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city. Shanghai is now aiming to be an international shipping centre in the future, and is one of the world's major financial centres.<br/><br/> Shanghai is also a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden, as well as the extensive and growing Pudong skyline. It is described as the 'showpiece' of the booming economy of mainland China.<br/><br/>
Fenghuang is Chinese for Phoenix and refers to the mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and (according to Sanchuniathon) the Phoenicians.<br/><br/> Legend suggests that two phoenixes on discovering the town hovered overhead for some considerable time before reluctantly flying away.<br/><br/> Fenghuang town is a well-preserved ancient town supposedly dating back to 248 BC. It is home to the Miao and Tujia minorities. The distinctive architecture includes Ming and Qing styles.