Churches and priests may not be the first image that comes to mind when talking about Shanghai, but they are still an important part of Shanghai's culture and history. The presence of the Christian church has contributed greatly to Shanghai's cosmopolitanism. Some of the first Westerners to live in Shanghai were missionaries and played an important role in building Shanghai's attractive image. Furthermore, Christian educational institutions continue their contributions to Shanghai cosmopolitanism today. Furthermore, Shanghai is relatively friendlier towards Christianity than other Chinese cities, which increases Shanghai's attractiveness to potential Christian immigrants. Furthermore, the presence of foreign religions creates a cosmopolitan essence in the Shanghai community. Christianity has been an important part of Shanghai's transformation into a multicultural city since the beginning of this process. Christian missionaries were an important component of Shanghai's early connections with the Western world. The presence of the Jesuits in Shanghai led to the conversion of important local figures and by the mid-17th century there were around 135 chapels in the Shanghai area.1 Some of the first settlers of the foreign concession in Shanghai created after the First Opium War they were missionaries. 2 In addition to being members of Shanghai's increasingly cosmopolitan community, missionaries of the time also played an instrumental role in projecting Shanghai's image to the rest of the world through their accounts of Shanghai in Europe and America. Missionaries emphasized the opportunities for conversion of the local population, which attracted an influx of additional missionaries and other religious affiliates.3 Furthermore, conv...... half of document ......sa due to the growing number of Christians As immigrants arrive in Shanghai, the pace of the city will soon catch up with them too. Shanghai is currently moving in a more cosmopolitan direction, but its cultural mosaic may coalesce as globalization advances and human cultures converge. Works CitedCentral Intelligence Agency. “World,” CIA World Factbook. Access date: May 15, 2012 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.htmlInterview with the priest of the Chinese Congregation in St. Peter's Church. May 13, 2012.Minter, Adam. “Jesus in China,” Los Angeles Times. July 16, 2006. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/16/magazine/tm-china29Sunday Mass at Zhongshan Tang. Date: May 13, 2012.Wasserstrom, Jefferey. Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: a history in fragments (New York: Routledge,2009) 27.