was the former place ever invaded by a foreign nation?
Yes - Japanese forces
Shanghai
On 28 January 1932, Japanese forces invaded Shanghai while the Chinese resisted. More than 10,000 shops and hundreds of factories and public buildings were destroyed, leaving Zhabei district ruined. 
what is journey 2012? An indie adventure game who composed its music? Austin Wintory who is he? An American composer who composes scores for films and video games. where was he born? Denver, Colorado, USA what was his debut game composition ? Flow by whom was this game developed? Jenova Chen where was he from? Shanghai, China
wiki:19611727
Shanghai [SEP] Japanese invasion
On 28 January 1932, Japanese forces invaded Shanghai while the Chinese resisted. More than 10,000 shops and hundreds of factories and public buildings were destroyed, leaving Zhabei district ruined. About 18,000 civilians were either killed, injured, or declared missing. A ceasefire was brokered on 5 May. In 1937, the Battle of Shanghai resulted in the occupation of the Chinese-administered parts of Shanghai outside of the International Settlement and the French Concession. People who stayed in the occupied city suffered on a daily basis, experiencing hunger, oppression, or death. The foreign concessions were ultimately occupied by the Japanese on 8 December 1941 and remained occupied until Japan's surrender in 1945; multiple war crimes were committed during that time.