In October 2005, the spiritual symbol of Shanghai, Ba Jin, passed away. The literature in Shanghai fell in danger. The real literary masters can not be found any more. The literature perhaps will be faded for the sparsity of successors of the young generation. Actually China is facing more risk and danger for the degeneration of the literary environment from the nationwide recognition of the past generations to the ignorance, disregardfulness and misunderstanding of the younger generations to the literature.

The lack of the literary talents and the younger writers, the unwillingness of youngsters to engaging in the literature surely do a severe strike to the further development of Chinese literature. Hence the perdition of the literature always threatens us today; perhaps we truly become the illiterate and barbaric people from the well-cultivated, well-educated, civilized and elegant people. The reading circle Shanghai’s readers choose presumedly is the best one with best conditions. The circulations of the new books are the fastest in China except Beijing. The speed of reading, as well as literary atmosphere is equal to or even better than other cities.

We could find the literary books are always the main part of the sales from the investigation in Shanghai book town, Shanghai library and the bookstores near to Fudan University and Eastern China Normal University, besides the variety of the literary acts, speeches and special lectures done by those noted writers, critic, even some world-known winner of the Nobel literature prize are also could be found. The literary authors or writers almost never give up the writing and composition, but most of their time is also spent on the careers concerned. The literature of Shanghai in 1930s the literators are most willing to mention, there was no any other city could do like Shanghai who owned so many concernful writers such as Luxun, Maodun, Bajin, Zhen Zhengduo, Qian Zhongshu, Fu Lei, Maodun and so on, as well as influential publishing house and literature magazine. 

In 1930s, 80% of Chinese publishing industry was all in Shanghai, and over 200 could be found in the written records those publishing houses were the foundations of the blooming literature of Shanghai. Each one also had its own editor and the professional personnel of printing and publishes. The operation of so many publishing houses needed specialists doing well in writing and a large amount of contributions, and it directly attracted many people with the quality and talents in literature to engage in the literature and broaden the literature space, both of them indeed gifted Shanghai the advantageous environment and diverse opportunities. A plentiful writing exercise, infinite exchange and convenient information communication brought up a lot of literature masters like Shen Congwen. He firstly arrived in shanghai in 1928 like those ordinary youngsters, but when he left from Shanghai, the whole literary atmosphere was totally changed. We dare to say the charm of shanghai gifted him the literature talents and the tempermament of master, sequentially he hung up his hat in Beijing. He always yearn the literature environment in Shanghai when Beijing-style and Shanghai-style literature co-existed and glorified simultaneously in China.

By contrast, the losing of today’s Shanghai is not the specific writers or the masterworks but the losing of the authoritative status as national publishing center, there is only one literature publishing house at present. What will they be if there is only one literature publishing house in Paris, NewYork, and London? Can we moved by such masters as T.S Eliot, Sartre, Eugene O'Neill. If there are no numerous publishing houses and newspaper offices, perhaps Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Ba Jin and Yu Dafu were reluctant to settle down here. Historically speaking, the establishment of a magazine presses always be surrounded by many literators’ group. The golden period of Shanghai literature was coinstantaneous with criticism. The largest characteristics of Shanghai literature is “Hai”, which means the versatility that everything can be done.

In China, it is really hard to find the second one can be qualified to challenge Shanghai in the diversity of literature and the various experiment of arts. A well-known criticist owed the reasons for the novel flourish in Shanghai to the diversity and colorfulness of its magazines and newspapers. It was lively and approachable, on the contrary, the attitude and principle of Beijing-style literature was pure and simplified without the diversification and colorization of artistic styles and lives. So the clear characteristics of Beijing–style literature were lethargy and singularity. The characteristics of Shanghai-style Literature were popularization and universalization with diversity and distinctions of aims and requirements and the participation of the mass. 

The acknowledgment to Shanghai’s identity and past and the cultural acknowledgment also began from 1990s. Someone generalized it as the reminiscence which in many professional and traditional writers’ minds means cultural resistance and refusal. The appearance of such a thought mostly relies on the needs of self-identity in culture when the high-speed development of Shanghai economy. Shanghai culture less than 200 years is seemed too young and naïve compared to time-honored and historic Chinese culture.

Besides in literature, Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang) as the representative of Shanghai ,because she indeed influenced a large number of readers with her mind and feeling, up to now many a young readers like reading her essays or novels. At present, the advanced cyber-literature is becoming more and more welcome and fashionable among the youth and the working people due to the busyness and effectiveness.