New York hitting Shanghai at Channel One mall

The Grand Opening of the Channel One mall complex is this Saturday, September 19, and to celebrate, it'll be running a "New York Impressions" week.

We've been regulars at Channel One mall on Shaanxi Bei Lu and Changshou Lu for months now - they've given us an awesome indie summer music series, yummy food, and some interesting surprises - but we didn't realize it hadn't yet had it's official opening. Now we're interested in checking out their version of New York, complete with those rampant beer drinking competitions you see so often peppered along the streets of the Big Apple.

Besides a chugging contest, there will also be a hot dog eating competition, street performers, a Michael Jackson impersonator and barbecue from Boxing Cat Brewery (because there's another thing we think of when we hear New York - barbecue?).

Oh yes, and of course, shopping: H&M, Zara, Sephora, Vero Moda, Adidas, Jack Jones, and Vero Moda.

We have to say, even with all the New York hoopla, we find this quirky opening very endearingly Shanghainese.