Shanghai will be the first city in China to host an international import expo. Indeed, as my colleague Roee Ruttenberg explains, the city has witnessed many of China's significant 'firsts' in its history of imports.  

For centuries, the waters of Shanghai have served as the entryway to China for goods and people. Some forced, some welcomed.

ROEE RUTTENBERG SHANGHAI "The first car in China first drove on the this city's streets."

"The country's first light bulb first lit Shanghai."

"The first phone. The first television. All made their debut right here."

ROEE RUTTENBERG SHANGHAI "And China's first high reel first walked Shanghai's pavements."

The first bicycle was first used by foreigners in Shanghai in the 1800s. Half a century later, the first Chinese bicycle brand – Feng Huang, or Phoenix – was introduced right here in Shanghai. The brand has soared in popularity to become China's biggest. The company is still headquartered here.

Shanghai's global appeal largely halted in the mid-20th century. Decades later, Deng Xiaoping's reforms changed that. This exhibit in the city center is called "1978". It documents Shanghai's transformation, just over the last 40 years – the period of China's official opening up.

SHEN HUIPING EXHIBIT VOLUNTEER "After the reforms, we saw a lot of foreign brands coming to Shanghai. Things that we had never seen before, never used before, never eaten before. And over the years, we've seen a lot of new things that we've now gotten used to it: the clothes, the food, the daily necessities."

There was also domestic innovation. Global cinema triggered a Chinese film industry that used both imported cameras, and for the first time, cameras made in China. Or more specifically, made in Shanghai.

ROEE RUTTENBERG SHANGHAI "The people of this city have always been early adapters to new products. But it's sometimes come with some reservation. Many here first believed that being filmed or having their photo taken would lead to an early death."

That clearly changed. And what caught on here first, then caught on in the rest of China. The Shanghainese are known as trend-setters. Indeed, many of China's latest fashion trends come from Shanghai. The city is known as the Paris of the East. Today, Shanghai is a vibrant international city, a first-tier city in China, and a first-class city in the world. Roee Ruttenberg, CGTN, in Shanghai.