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追溯上海的历史，“先有松江府，后有上海滩”，被誉为“上海之根”的松江城至今已有1000多年历史。这片在4000多年前孕育广富林文化的土地，有上海地区最古老的地面建筑、远东第一大天主教堂、中国最早拥有大型天文望远镜的天文台、创造世界奇迹工程的深坑酒店，以及散落在乡间的本土风貌民宅，这些建筑展示了松江城的变迁，也见证了上海城市发展的历史。
松江古称华亭，别称云间，初为吴地的滨海渔村，在隋唐以前尚未形成有规模的市镇。后随着中原人口的南迁、沿海陆地面积增加、海塘（海堤）的修筑，华亭地区农业日益繁荣，人口迅速集聚。唐天宝十年（751），朝廷下令析嘉兴、海盐、昆山三县设华亭县，建县初期人口1.9万余户，约9.04万人，这便是上海地区城市发展的起源。唐代华亭县的中心位于今天松江区府城风貌区内，至今遗存有上海地区最古老的地面建筑——唐代陀罗尼经幢。
宋代，华亭县兴建水利设施，很快成为重要的粮食生产基地。生产的进一步发展带来人口和商户的集聚，华亭县人口在北宋元丰年间（1078—1085）增长到约9.77万户。北宋末年，金兵南下，中原人口继续往南迁移，大量人口迁入华亭。由于华亭地区水网密布，西连大陆，东出东海，便捷的交通使之在南宋成为中国东南部第一大县，即古代上海地区的商业和行政中心。
元初，华亭县升为华亭府，约有人口13万户，后称松江府。松江府的范围大致包括现今上海行政范围内除嘉定、宝山、崇明以外的地区，呈一府（松江府）一县（华亭县）的行政格局。因城内空间有限，城市开始向外拓展。建筑逐步沿市河（今中山中路南侧河道，后大部分填平，现存西段）向西延展，发展为“东到华阳（桥）、西至跨塘（桥）”的繁华景象，到元末已形成“十里长街”（今中山中路在此基础上扩建而成）。当地农业、渔业和盐业的发展带来人口的聚集，在至元二十七年（1290），松江府人口迅速增长到16万户，约88.8万人。在这一时期，松江府东部的下沙、周浦、新场等镇盐商云集，很快发展成为盐业交易地。至元二十九年（1292），华亭县东部划出部分区域设立上海县，标志着上海的“建城之始”。
明代，松江府社会、经济、文化都得到快速的发展，是全国重要的棉纺织业中心。城内棉花、棉布、棉纱交易兴盛，漕船络绎不绝。这时的松江府城已有陆门、水门各四个，城墙周长9里173步（约5409米），城内道路、民居、园林、商市布局都极为成熟，已有街巷90条、牌坊140座之多，“商贾辐辏，民居稠密”。之后，建设活动开始大规模转向城外。从府城到仓城，以道路和河道为轴，连片发展，西门外秀野桥一带形成繁华的商业街市。明洪武二十四年（1391），松江府总人口达到109.5万人（包括华亭县和上海县），为当时人口最稠密的地区之一。
清代，松江府先后增设娄县、金山、奉贤、南汇四县。娄县县治也设于松江府城中，形成一府两县的行政格局。当时的松江府城内有街巷158条，不少街巷名称一直沿用至今，如百岁坊、黑鱼弄等。随着海禁的解除，上海县城于清康熙二十四年（1685）设置海关，管理全松江府的水上贸易，至雍正八年（1730）辖苏州、松江和太仓三府的水上贸易。上海县作为江南重要的贸易枢纽和口岸，迅速发展，成为松江府最大的工商业市镇。1843年上海开埠，在随后的几十年，松江府的经济中心逐步从松江府城向上海县城转移。
1912年，松江撤府改县，1937年日军屡次轰炸松江，全城几成废墟。1949年前后，松江城常住户数仅为8542户，人口4.2万人，县城规模不足4平方公里。县城内多为一、二层砖木结构房屋，市政设施极为落后。
1958年，松江县由江苏省划归上海市，成为上海的卫星城之一。1978年改革开放后，松江发展的重点开始由农业转为工业。1990年，上海市郊第一个市级工业区——松江工业区成立，且松江的城市发展开始向外拓展。1998年松江撤县建区，松江城的规模为10平方公里，人口约为10万人。2000年，上海市郊开始建设“一城九镇”，作为这一时期重点建设的郊区新城，松江新城进入跨越式的建设阶段。到2016年，松江新城城市规模已达到120平方公里，居住人口76.5万人，成为上海西南的门户。
回顾千年的历史，松江城的发展历尽艰辛，经战火硝烟，屡毁屡建。目前松江区自唐代建华亭县以来的各时期建筑遗存，有全国重点文物保护单位4家，市级文物保护单位16家，区级文物保护单位47家、文物保护点233处。随着松江新城近20年的开发，千年古城也涌现出一批如泰晤士小镇、松江大学城、广富林文化遗址、佘山深坑酒店等新的建筑。
Preface
Songjiang District, known as the root of Shanghai, has a history dating back over a thousand years. In addition to boasting Guangfulin prehistoric culture more than four thousand years ago, this land harbors Shanghai's oldest aboveground architecture, one of the Far East's most prominent cathedrals, one of China's earliest modern observatories, an engineering marvel, as well as numerous scattered vernacular houses, which serve collectively to record the history of both Songjiang and Shanghai.
Long before it was Songjiang, the region was called either Huating or Yunjian. Before the Sui and the Tang dynasties, few settlements of significant scale were in the region. Later, with the southward migration from the Central Plains, an increase in the available coastal land area, and the construction of seawalls, the population rapidly increased, boosting the material prosperity of the Huating region. During the Tang dynasty, Huating County was formed by consolidating parts of three nearby counties (Jiaxing, Haiyan, Kunshan) in 781. With a population of approximately 90,400 (about 19,000 households), Huating County marked the origin of the urban development of Shanghai. The center of Huating County during the Tang dynasty is currently situated within the Fucheng Historical and Cultural Reserve, which also contains the oldest aboveground architecture in Shanghai—the Stone Pillar of Dharani Sutra.
Developments in irrigation management during the Song dynasty resulted in Huating County quickly becoming an important rice belt, resulting in a population boom and, with it, more merchants. The number of households increased to about 97,700 during 1078—1085. At the end of the Northern Song dynasty, Jin army moved south, forcing the inhabitants of the region to migrate further south, resulting in a large migration into Huating. With its geographical position between the inland and coastal areas, Huating, developed into a significant transportation hub and grew into the largest county in southeastern China during the Southern Song dynasty and became a center for commerce and administration within the ancient Shanghai region.
At the beginning of the Yuan dynasty, Huating County, with approximately 130,000 households, saw its political stature grow into Songjiang Prefecture. At this time, it covered roughly the whole administrative area of today's Shanghai metropolitan area (excluding Jiading, Baoshan, and Chongming Districts). Running out of space, the town began to expand westward along the Songjiang City River (the river on the south side of today's Zhongshan Road) and eventually developed into a large, bustling area from the Huayang to the Kuatang bridges. By the end of the Yuan dynasty, the Shi Li Changjie (a long street on which today's Zhongshan Road is based) had become a central artery for commercial activities. As the local agriculture, fish, and salt industries grew, the population boomed along with it. By 1290, the population of Songjiang Prefecture had increased rapidly to about 888,000 (roughly 160,000 households), while the number of salt merchants in the towns of Xiasha, Zhoupu, and Xinchang grew steadily alongside it, making the prefecture the premier salt trading center for the region. By 1292, the eastern part of Huating was designated as Shanghai County, marking the beginning of Shanghai City.
In the Ming dynasty, Songjiang Prefecture experienced rapid developed socially, economically, and culturally, transforming itself into an important center for the cotton textile industry in China. The trade of cotton and its derivatives, cloth and yarn, flourished, with trade aided by the city's proximity to canal transportation. During this time, Songjiang prefecture was accessible through eight transportation gates, half on water and half on land. The perimeter of the city wall was about 5,409 meters. The roads, houses, gardens, and commercial markets were fully developed with 140 memorial archways dispersed over 90 streets. The city was described as “a place densely populated and with numerous merchants”. At that time, from Fucheng to Cangcheng, the periphery of the city gradually developed along the roads and rivers, and a bustling commercial market around the Xiuye Bridge slowly developed. In 1391, the total population of Songjiang Prefecture (including Huating and Shanghai Counties) reached 1.095 million, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the region.
In the Qing dynasty, Songjiang Prefecture successively added the four counties of Lou, Jinshan, Fengxian, and Nanhui. With the government of Lou County located in the downtown area, Songjiang contained the governments of one prefecture and two counties. At that time, there were 158 streets, of which many names are currently in use such as Baisui Lane and Heiyu Alley. After the ban on maritime and foreign trade was lifted, Shanghai County established a customs agency in 1685 to control trade through its many water routes in Songjiang Prefecture. By 1730, it had also begun to assert political control over the nearby areas of Suzhou, Songjiang, and Taicang. As an important trading hub and port for regions south of the Yangtze River, Shanghai County developed rapidly and became the largest industrial and commercial town in Songjiang Prefecture. By 1843, with Shanghai now opened to foreign trade, the economic center gradually shifted from Songjiang Prefecture to Shanghai County.
In 1912, Songjiang Prefecture was demoted to Songjiang County. In 1937, with aerial bombings by Japanese forces, the entire city was nearly razed. Around 1949, the number of permanent households had dropped substantially to around 8,542, supporting a population of 42,000. The county town area was less than 4 square kilometers. Most of the remaining buildings were one-or-two-story brick-and-wood structured houses. The municipal facilities which survived were dilapidated, at best.
In 1958, Songjiang County was put under administrative control by Shanghai, becoming a satellite town. After 1978, Songjiang began to focus more heavily on industry and less on agriculture. In 1990, Songjiang's industrial district was established as the first municipal industrial district located in its suburbs. In 1998, Songjiang County became Songjiang District, encompassing an area of 10 square kilometers and with a population of approximately 100,000. In 2000, Songjiang was planned as a key new town of the "One City and Nine Towns" project. By 2016, Songjiang New City had hold a population of 765,000, with a scale of 120 square kilometers.
At present, Songjiang includes many historical monuments and cultural relics—4 of which are under national protection, 16 are under municipal protection. Within the are last two decades, this thousand-year-old city has added many new spots such as Thames Town, Songjiang University Town, Guangfulin Relics Park, and the Quarry Hotel, among many others.