The Precarious Paris of the East: Shanghai Municipal Council, 1928

Shanghai, known by foreigners as the “Paris of the East”, has undergone an explosion of growth during the 1920s, creating a new Gilded Age for its citizens. The bustling metropolis’s wealth, built from both its sale of luxury products and opium, is juxtaposed with the array of political interests vying for control of its corridors. 

Since the late 19th century, the Shanghai Municipal Council has controlled the roads, buildings, and everything in between in the city, and now in 1928, has finally opened its seats up to Chinese councilors. Twisting this narrative, delegates will all play the roles of Shanghai citizens, from Communists to White Russians to Green Gang members and more. Vicious distrust and inflamed tensions plague the Council, yet delegates must find a way to work together to combat foreign influence and defend against crises that consume its citizenry, all while maintaining Shanghai’s image as the luxury and fine arts capital of the Eastern Hemisphere.

This high-stakes municipal council will be a chance for delegates to compete in a high-pressure, high-flying committee and will be made of a unique pocket of characters, each ready to betray and backstab to amass power. Finally given a seat at the table, can the delegates manage to elevate Shanghai’s glory into a powerful city for all its citizens, or will the city consume them into its clutches?

Background Guide

Chair: John Schwendinger

  • John Schwendinger is a member of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service Class of 2026, studying Regional and Comparative Studies with minors in German and Mathematics. As he will surely mention within a few minutes of meeting him, he comes from the frigid and beautiful state of Minnesota, though he is sad to announce that most of his accent has been lost in his years in Washington, DC. This is his fourth and final time staffing NCSC, though only his second time in-room, so he is extra excited to meet you through more than just your crisis notes.  Other than Model UN, John is also on the board of the European Club, edits articles for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and makes guest appearances at any event that promises free food.

    On weekends where he isn’t scootering between the Georgetown campus and the Washington Hilton for NCSC, he enjoys letting the NFL and Formula 1 determine his mood, singing Christmas songs in the shower (no matter the month), and doing online geography quizzes instead of his homework while fueled by Celsius and his third Doordash order of the week. When he feels like being more productive, he might work on his undergraduate thesis that centers on Chinese development in the early 20th century, which is just one of the many reasons he is thrilled to welcome everyone to this committee and the best NCSC yet.

CRisis Manager:
Julia Grimwade

  • Julia is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgetown University. She is majoring in Government with a minor in Spanish, and plans to attend law school after completing her undergraduate degree. A proud midwesterner, she is originally from Cleveland, Ohio.

    Although she had no prior experience with Model UN before college, Julia became involved with Model UN during her first year at Georgetown, through NCSC, NAIMUN, and GUMUN. She quickly developed a strong appreciation for the dynamic and fast-paced environment of crisis committees and is thrilled to continue her involvement as CM for Shanghai. She is also a USG of Historical Crisis for NAIMUN, NCSC’s sister conference for high school students. Outside of NAIMUN, Julia is involved in The Anthem, Georgetown’s undergraduate literary magazine, and the GU Baking Society. She is also a barista and a dedicated matcha enthusiast. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, thrifting, rock climbing, and reading.

USG: Sanjay Rajesh

This committee is in the Councils Organ, and your Under-Secretary-General is Sanjay Rajesh. Committees in this organ are councils crises with 22-30 delegates.


If you have any questions about your committee, please reach out to s.rajesh@modelun.org.