Shanghaiist Monthly Favorites

Time running out on USA pavilion at Shanghai World Expo

An email we received yesterday from Bob Jacobson:

I’m with the BH&L Group, a team of world-class Expo veterans struggling to reinvigorate the American effort — fumbled and dropped by the Bush State Department — to feature a US Pavilion at the all-important Shanghai 2010 World Expo. At the moment, there are no such plans. We’re the only country likely not to show!¹ And BH&L is the only group that can turn the tide, with help from other Americans. ...
We’re hunting for a Project Champion, an American corporate executive most likely, to get us started (i.e., $250,000 to organize, plan, and create enough documentation to pursue serious funding). Although an old law prohibits government funding, we have good connections in the new one and that could change. Unfortunately, they aren’t in charge until February, two months into the one year left for us to do anything of quality.

Jacobson's group expands on its website:

Beginning on May 1, 2010, and continuing for six months, the nations of the world will gather in Shanghai to participate in what is forecast to be the largest, most heavily attended Worlds Fair in history. Incredibly, without immediate and decisive action on the part of America’s leaders in commerce and in government, the United States of America will be glaringly absent from this global celebration.

The result would be an insult to the Chinese government, global humiliation for the American people, and a serious blow to U.S. commercial prospects in the vast Chinese and other regional markets. The repercussions could reverberate for decades. We don’t want this to happen!

By participating energetically — by creating a US Pavilion in Shanghai and a U.S. Online Pavilion on the Internet — we’ll earn the admiration of the Chinese people and people throughout the world; proudly proclaim America’s traditions and values; announce our nation’s new visions; and contribute to greater global awareness of what must be done to preserve the quality of life in the world’s ever-growing cities.

(Emphasis added by Shanghaiist.)

We have previously admitted that prior to moving to Shanghai, we had no idea World Expos/World's Fairs still existed. We blamed our American-ness (and one commenter strongly agreed). There may be something to this theory: For the past couple decades, the United States has shown very little interest in the World Expo. Once again, from Jacobson's site:

In 1991, legislation enacted by Congress — the result of a diplomatic snit — forbade the use of public funds for U.S. participation in Expos. The legislation (wrongly) stated that funding such events was not in the best interest of the American taxpayer. From that point forward, including an embarrassing U.S. showing at the Seville Expo in 1992 and our withdrawal from the Hanover 2000 Millennium Exposition, the U.S. has been largely absent from the Expo world stage. It is also no longer a member of the Bureau for International Expositions (BIE), the international treaty organization that oversees Expos and to which over 100 nations now belong.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Given the current wintry economic climate, will anyone be willing to pony up the dough necessary for a first-class pavilion? And if the US is a no-show in 2010, what will the fallout be, if any? It's not like China has ever been accused of being easily offended, right?

¹ The Shanghai Expo's official site says 183 countries and 45 international organizations are confirmed participants. Even North Korea.

Image from unitedstatespavilion.com.

Sarkozy pisses off China together with a host of EU leaders by meeting the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama has been keeping the guys at the Chinese Foreign Ministry working overtime lately with his eight day tour around Europe. Last week, after telling Nigerians in Lagos that "sex invariably spells trouble", the Dalai Lama flew to Prague to meet Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and democratic hero Vaclav Havel. He then hopped over to Brussels to meet Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme and to address the European Parliament, which led China to scrap a summit with the EU at the last minute. Two days ago in Warsaw, the D.L. was given a rousing welcome by Polish anti-communist hero and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Wałęsa, as well as Gdansk mayor Pawel Adamowicz. We're not sure if the Polish premier Donald Tusk got to meet the Dalai Lama eventually but he did say he "would be honoured" if he had the opportunity to do so. And then this latest image of the Dalai Lama draping French President Nicolas Sarkozy with the traditional Tibetan kata totally had the Chinese foreign ministry and media railing against France. It will be interesting to see how French businesses in China will suffer from the new fallout and whether there will be a fresh round of anti-French boycotts. While it's unlikely that China would penalise the entire European Union for the warm welcome it gave to the D.L., it's not hard to imagine all the above-named nations taking a hit, with France bearing the brunt of it all as it currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Opinionist: It's time to rebrand the Shanghai Expo — as a World’s Fair

by Jeffrey Wasserstrom

One comment posted after my last contribution to this site was that, while my thoughts on rock music and Chinese politics were interesting, the piece lacked a clear enough statement of opinion to be called an “Opinionist” entry. I’m making sure this post on Shanghai 2010 won’t be open to the same charge by having it wear its thesis on its sleeve—or rather in its title.

English language publicity materials have used different phrases to describe the upcoming Shibohui (a term that can be translated equally well as international exhibition, world’s fair, global expo, and so forth). It has been dubbed an “Economic Olympics” or a “Technology Olympics,” for example, to encourage people to think of its as a sequel to the Beijing Games. Most frequently, it has been called simply the “2010 Expo,” the “Shanghai World Expo” or some variation on these phrases. It has also, less frequently, been referred to as “China’s First World’s Fair,” the “Shanghai World’s Fair,” and things of this sort. My thesis is that this last approach is the one to run with.

I say this despite (indeed partly because) I know that “World’s Fair” has a retro ring to it. I say it even though the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions), the organization that now oversees events in the lineage of global galas that goes back to the Crystal Palace Exhibition, likes to use “Expo” rather than “World’s Fair” to describe contemporary descendants of that 1851 granddaddy of all such extravaganzas.

I’ll offer five reasons to back up my thesis, but first two pieces of background information:

First, I’ve agreed to serve as an unpaid adviser to the BH & L Group. As a recent Shanghaiist piece noted, this organization hopes to get the nod to create a U.S. Pavilion for the event. I would favor calling the upcoming Shanghai event a “World’s Fair” rather than a “World Expo” even if this wasn’t the case, but I do think the rebranding would be particularly useful in encouraging American participation.

Second, what I have to say below grows out of the discussion of World’s Fairs in my last two books and the background reading I did while writing them. China’s Brave New World—And Other Tales for Global Times (2007) had chapters that deal with the World’s Fairs (sometimes called Exhibitions or Expositions) that took place in Paris in 1867, Philadelphia in 1876, and Chicago in 1893. And Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: A History in Fragments (2008) ends with a look ahead to what the Shibohui could mean for this city.

Here are my 5 points:

1) Calling the upcoming Shanghai event an “Olympics” of any kind is counterproductive. It just underscores the extent to which in this era (as opposed to in earlier ones when the Olympics were sometimes just a World’s Fair sideshow), the Games are seen as much more important than any other mega-event spectacle.

2) Not all the cities that hosted World’s Fairs of the 1850s-1930s (the genre’s heyday) are now thought of as among the most glamorous and celebrated places on earth (Philadelphia and Ghent each hosted one, after all), but many are thought of just that way. And certainly a higher percentage of top tier locales can be found among the place that hosted World’s Fairs then than have held World Expos in recent decades. Surely, Shanghai aspires to be seen as belonging to a category that includes London, Paris and New York, rather than Knoxville, Hanover, and Aichi—where the 1982, 2000, and 2005 Expos were held.

3) The best that can be said of the word “Expo” is that it brings to mind futuristic buildings (think Seattle’s Space Needle) and the latest technologies and products (think the Toshiba robots at Aichi 2005)—two things that Shanghai is already linked to in spades. As I note in Global Shanghai, the city now looks in many ways like a place that has already hosted an Expo not a place that is gearing up for one, with the skyscrapers of Pudong and the Maglev train reminiscent of things that might have been left behind after the crowds went home. If the pay-off of hosting an Expo is that it suggests a city is futuristic, this is redundant in Shanghai’s case.

4) The term “World’s Fair,” by contrast, while also associated with futurism (“Building the World of Tomorrow” was the theme of the New York extravaganza of 1939) conjures up a sense of fun as well. And if Shanghai can’t outdo Beijing in terms of the high-tech spectacle side of 08/08/08, one area where there is room for improvement, according to many reports of people who attended the Games (I didn’t), is in the area of frivolity and high spirits—of the sort associated with World’s Fairs since at least the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, which had a Midway famous for its amusements and shows and was also where the Ferris Wheel made its debut.

5) Speaking of Chicago…America will soon have a President who is linked to that city. So invoking 1893 when looking ahead to 2010 might have special resonance. It could help convince skeptics that even in a time of financial constraints, having some kind of official U.S. presence at the first World's Fair held in China—a country that is now the kind of rapidly industrializing rising economic power that America was in 1893—might be a good thing.

Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom is Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, and author of the new book Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: A History in Fragments, due out next month from Routledge.

The (newest and tallest) Shanghai Tower

Construction started Saturday on the Shanghai Tower, Shanghai's next "tallest building". At 632m tall and with 138 floors, it checks in with a price tag of $2.2 billion USD, and will take six years to build. By comparison, its next-door neighbor, the Jinmao Tower, is 421m tall, while the still-brand-spankin' new World Financial Center is tops out at "only" 492m. The Shanghai Tower will, obviously, be the tallest building in China when it is completed.

The city's newest uber-skyscraper has been in planning since the early 1990's, but various holdups, including a corruption scandal, delayed the start of construction. In fact, bidding on the Shanghai Tower didn't even start until after the (Japanese-owned) IFC's final height was set in 2006. The tower was designed by San-Francisco-based firm Gensler, while Tongji University's design institute will be the project's local partner.

Gensler sold its design on several "green" features; the tower's twisting glass facade and double-skin exterior is expected to save on both building materials and energy usage once completed.

Financing for projects of this type has been tight in recent months, but according to Gu Jianping, manager of city-owned Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., "Launching construction at this time will help boost Shanghai's confidence in fighting the financial crisis."

Image from Wikipedia

Chinese grenades found on terrorists in Mumbai

Chinese-made grenades have been found to be used by the terrorists that launched the deadly spate of attacks in Mumbai that has now been dubbed by the media as India's 9/11.

At the Taj Mahal Hotel, Indian commandos recovered Chinese-made grenades from one of the rucksacks of the terrorists, among other items — a Mauritian national's identity card, seven ammunition magazines, 400 spare rounds of ammunition, seven credit cards from different banks, dry rations and thousands of dollars in cash.

Meanwhile, India says it has captured one of the Muslim militants responsible for the attack alive. A man by the name of Abu Islami is supposed to have checked into the Oberoi-Trident hotel four days before the rest of the terrorists arrived in Mumbai by boat:

"He used the room to store explosives" including 40 hand grenades "and weapons for a prolonged operation", a top Intelligence Bureau official told AFP on condition he not be named.

"We are asking him who supplied the weapons, the explosives, the Chinese-made grenades. He came in much before the main body of the terrorists landed by boat" on Wednesday evening, he said.

According to India, this is not the first time Chinese-made grenades have been found to be used in terrorist attacks within India. In a report from The Times of India, on July 12 2006:

The frequent grenade attacks in Jammu and Kashmir may be carried out by cross-border terrorists, but they have a distinct 'Made in China' tag, say top counter-insurgency experts.

For the past 15 years, terrorists have been using compact Chinese-made grenades to carry out their nefarious activities in the Valley.

"Indian grenades are more powerful than the Chinese made, but obviously the supply is routed through Pakistan, which is why Chinese grenades are used. We have never come across terrorists using Indian made grenades," said senior officers.

India has blamed the Mumbai attacks on elements within Pakistan, a stand that has attracted the rebuke of the Pakistani government. Bilateral ties between India and Pakistan are being tested as anti-Pakistan protests now begin to hit the streets in India.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not issued any statement regarding the alleged Chinese grenade link in the Mumbai attacks as yet.

Scene at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, India on Nov 27, 2008 from NoComment TV.

The highly profitable public toilet at the Shanghai Railway Station

The public toilet outside the Shanghai Railway Station costs RMB1 per visit and is said to earn RMB100 million each year. To see whether there is truth to this rumour, Steward Du stood outside the toilet for a good five minutes to count the number of people entering the toilet and did all the math for us.

SH mag to fold

From a source close to the proceedings: "Asia City Finance Director just made the official announcement: SH will cease publication with the December 19th issue. They're tired of subsidizing the Shanghai office's monthly loss, which is substantial, and in light of the global economy, they're stopping publication. ... They've got a few interested parties who they're in talks with, but nothing has been signed and mid-December is the deadline for that. Their plan for the future: A website. The same one they have now, perhaps not even run by anyone in Shanghai, but instead done by their Hong Kong office." The ellipsis you see in the text above replaced these thoughts from our source: "Cough, cough, bullshit, cough. It's not nearly the whole story, but it certainly provides them a convenient cover for exiting the market. Sales figures were way down well before any of the current economic crises. Cough, cough." Previously: You could be the next owner of SH Mag!

The Red Chinese Battle Plan of 1964

China's "blueprint for a worldwide revolution" according to the US Navy in 1964. [h/t to Mutant Palm]

The Yang Shiqun Case: Political science students report their lecturer to the PSB for 'counter-revolutionary' ideas

This story caused us to hyperventilate after we realised that it happened right here in what is supposed to be China's most liberal city. Professor Yang Shiqun (杨师群) of Shanghai's East China University of Political Science and Law (which by the way is supposed to be a pretty good uni) was reported by two of his female students to the public security bureau and the municipal education committee for his alleged anti-government and counter-revolutionary ideas. Steve Cotner of The Foreign Expert translates a blogpost written by the professor (which seems to have been removed by Sohu in the meanwhile — read his other less subversive views here) telling his side of the story:

Students Accused Me of Being “Counterrevolutionary”

Today, the leaders called me to go have a meeting, saying that during “Ancient Chinese Language” class, students went to the police and city teacher’s association to report me, saying that during class I criticized the government among other things, and the above was already on file for investigation. It was actually ironic: a politics university’s students are actually on the same conceptual road as the cultural revolution, for being able to accuse professors of being counterrevolutionary by any means at all. They are sad, these Chinese university students!

I remember, during “Ancient Chinese Language” class, of course I would criticize some written texts which concern Chinese traditional culture, if some questions about traditional culture have relevance with today, I also would make connections with contemportary times and comment on the government.

I remember, after class there were two female classmates looking for me, indignantly condemning the way I criticized Chinese culture! Criticizing the government! Indeed, their eyes already contained tears. I greatly admire students with this kind of devotion to Chinese culture and the Chinese government, you have this kind of right! But why do I not have the right to comment on Chinese culture and government? So I told them: I also have the right to express my own opinion, if you do not want to attend my class, then in the future do not choose my class, and that’s that. Unawares, they actually went higher up to accuse me, indeed, adding salt to an open wound*, they added “groundless” accusations, actually suprising me**.

It needs to be known, if this kind of thing were discovered during the late Qing dynasty, maybe people would still believe it: and to say that it occured during the republic’s “May 4th” period, nobody would believe it. You know, young people at that time already basically accepted the concepts “democracy,” “freedom,” “human rights,” so normally we wouldn’t find this kind of strange event. Nonetheless, now, in 21st Century China and in Chinese universities, there can often be found such incredible things. Thinking about the most recent strange events found in Chinese schools, I just have a silent prayer for Chinese society and people: when will Chinese society be able to walk away from ignorance? When will Chinese education be able to get on track? When will Chinese students be able to compare well-balanced ideas? [Chinese version from Tianya]

Wang Xiaoyu (王晓渔) of the Southern Metropolis Daily also finds it hard to believe that something like that has happened in Shanghai. Here's s portion of his editorial translated by David Bandurski of the China Media Project:

“‘Incurring Guilt by One’s Words’ at Universities of Political Science and Law”
By Wang Xiaoyu (王晓渔)

At Tianya Chat (天涯杂谈) and other sites a post has appeared causing passionate debate among Web users, and that post excerpts a portion from the blog of Yang Shiqun (杨师群), a teacher in the cultural institute of East China University of Political Science and Law, which revealed that [some of Yang’s] students had gone to the public security bureau and [Shanghai’s] municipal education committee to report that certain content in Yang’s class had been critical of the government, and that relevant government departments had already [responded to the report] by launching a formal investigation. The post has now been deleted from Yang Shiqun’s blog, and there is no way to learn the latest developments, but many responses from web users support Yang Shiqun’s right to express his own opinions.

In recent years, cases in which people incur guilt by their words have occurred time and again, like the “Pengshui SMS Case” . . . . [See CMP’s recent post on this topic] . . . All of these cases have occurred in regions where economic development has lagged, and at government offices at the county or city level or below, which have a poor appreciation for the concept of rule of law. As citizens are guaranteed the right to freedom of expression in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, these above-listed cases have been quickly corrected once revealed to the outside, and officials concerned have resigned or been removed . . . [Summarizes Xifeng case and anger over current developments].

The Yang Shiqun incident naturally causes some to recall the 2005 Lu Xuesong (卢雪松) case. [In that case,] Lu Xueong, an instructor at Jilin College of the Arts, was formally accused by her students and stripped of her teaching credentials after she discussed with them how China Youth Daily and other media had covered [Hu Jie’s unauthorized] documentary Searching for Lin Zhao’s Soul (寻找林昭的灵魂). The Lu Xuesong affair drew a great deal of attention from the academic community, and after it happened friends of mine in the academic community were basically in consensus that this owed largely to the fact that Jilin College of the Arts was a rather insular local academy, and if such a thing were to happen at a national institution in a major city things would turn out differently. But when we look at the Yang Shiqun case it is hard to be optimistic. East China University of Political Science and Law is not located in Xifeng or Pengshui. That a university professor at a college of political science and law would be incriminated by their own words — this is something more absurd than one would expect to find even in the genre of fantasy.

Cantina Agave: Hallelujah

The wait is over. We've finally found a Mexican restaurant that has satisfied our too-long simmering desires for big hearty burritos, soft fish tacos, chunky guacamole, and a selection of salsa both sharp and subtle. The new Cantina Agave, located on the Fumin side of the new Mansion complex on Changle Lu, has brought the California-style Mexican fare we fell in love with back home to Shanghai, wrapped up in reasonable prices and a much appreciated focus on authenticity.

It makes sense then that it's veteran Shanghai restaurateur Kelley Lee, of Closed Door and Boxing Cat Brewery fame, who is responsible for this godsend. The first thing that caught our attention when we walked into the restaurant was the salsa bar nestled in the corner. Fresh cut jalapenos and salsas ranging from the tangy mango and black bean salsa to the bruising salsa de chile arbol were open for the choosing.

Naturally, we ordered the burrito first. both Cantina Agave's burrito mamita and papito, like everything else here, is made from your selection of meat fillings. Beef machaca, carnitas, chorizo and potato, chicken in salsa verde, lengua if you're lucky, and fried baja fish. The mamita (55 RMB) is packed thick with rice, beans, lettuce and onions, but we recommend 5 RMB extra each for the dollop of sour cream and guacamole. The Macho Nachos (60 RMB) are indeed a masculine mound of crispy tortilla chips suffocating under heaps of meat and beans and melted Oaxacan cheese. And the crispy fish taco, recently added to the menu, is a delicious bargain at 20 RMB. The aforementioned salsa bar allows you to mix and match with 8 different sauce types. The machaca and the chicken verde were hearty and delicious; the carnitas will keep you stuffed for what seems like forever.

We aren't going to forget to mention the bar, which serves 50 different types of tequila, draught pilsner from Boxing Cat, and a killer passionfruit margarita. Sure these things are nice and provide for a very holistic Mexican dining experience, but it's the flavorful food done right that brings tears to our eyes. That and the jalapenos. As another lover of Mexican food proclaimed to me after his first experience here: we can all finally rejoice. Yes we can, and Hallelujah to that.

Cantina Agave - 291 Fumin Lu, Suite 01 A-2, near Changle Lu (富民路291号, 01 A-2, 近常乐路) Tel: 6170-1310, Hours: 11 am - 11 pm daily

Eric Hu is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news and gossip about Shanghai's food scene to food at shanghaiist.com.

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Hans Rosling on the rise of China

Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden speaks to Thomas Crampton about the rise of China and how the world has not quite come around to understanding its magnitude and significance. An excellent communicator and engaging speaker who's great at putting figures into perspective. If you're interested to hear more, watch him debunking third-world myths in this presentation he gave at TED.

Cheap bars and beers

As credit crunches, and exchange rates plummet, it's time for fancy cocktails to step aside for our old favourite: cheap beer.

Here is a round-up of some of the cheaper places to buy a round of drinks.

Photo by Shanghai Sky

Tasca

A Mediterrenean restaurant above Judy's on Lower Tongren Lu? Believe us, it's there, and the generous portions of Nachos and other drinking food are tasty enough to soak up the 15RMB large Tigers. Open 24 hours a day, this place could get messy if the late-night City Diner crowds ever find it.

78-80 Tongren Lu near Nanjing Xi Lu, 3F (take the lift from street level) 021 6289 3602

C's

A long-time favourite, C's is worth another mention here because of their continuing fight for the cause of cheap drinks, as well as the fact that the name makes it almost impossible to find using Guanxi. Beer 10-15RMB per bottle, add another 10RMB for a refreshing shot of Vodka.

685 Dingxi Lu, South of Yan'An Lu, (in the basement, past the Buddha statue) 021 6294 0547

The Bulldog

Ex-British bastion, this bar now dishes up 2-4-1 drinks all day, every day. The catch? A large Tiger costs 50 60RMB. Still, it's cheaper than any other place in this part of town to watch the football with a cold beer in hand.

1 Wulumuqi Nan Lu, near DongPing Lu. 021-64667878 Website

Blue Frog

Happy Hours are only cheap when you don't stay on for a few more after the deal ends (and when was the last time you did that?), but the Blue Frog serves up 25RMB standard pours and beers all day and night on a Tuesday, so you can leave your watch at home.

(Angry sociopaths please note: This offer is only valid inside the restaurant)

Many locations (Tongren Lu, Super Brand Mall, Xu Jia Huia....) click here for a full list Exit

Buzzing bar in the 528 Kangding Lu enclave, Exit is a little off the beaten path for a beer, so you might as well stay for a couple. 25RMB for a large beer.

528 Kangding Lu- 150 0082 6259

Harley's

Xu Jia Hui's original basement bar, 25RMB beers served with a little sass and a game of darts by the all-female bar crew.

265 Nan Dan Dong Lu, near Cao Xi Bei Lu - (in the Basement- follow the smell). 021 5424 7317

Any more tips? Leave us a comment!

Shanghai Daily reports that it is the most widely-read English-language publication among foreigners in Shanghai

... and before you start scoffing, it's all from a very reliable and authoritative source of course — no, it's not AC Nielsen and neither is it Taylor Nelson Sofres — it's a doctoral student from Shanghai University by the name of Ni Lin. Never heard of her? Well neither have we, but if the Shanghai Daily starts quoting her as proof of its popularity among expats in this town, then she must be something right?

According to Ni's research which she presented to the Media and China Forum held in the Journalism Department of Fudan University last week, 25.2% of expats read Shanghai Daily frequently, while only 11.9% read the next most popular publication (would that be China Daily, That's Shanghai or City Weekend we wonder?) and 6.3% the third.

Other findings by Ni:

The study also showed that domestic mainstream media has a relatively limited influence on international audiences.

The study indicated expatriates rely more on the Internet than on traditional media after they have spent some time in the city.

"It shows that new media are the best way to address the cultural differences," said Ni.

According to Ni's study, expatriates rely on local English media a lot when they first arrive in the city because it is fresh and they are still anxious about the new environment.

Expats view local media as the most important channel to get information when they first arrive and are adjusting to life in a new city.

However, Ni's study showed they go back to media produced in their home country for information or entertainment from the seventh to the 12th month of their stay.

After about a year when they overcome the culture-shock period, the expats will read local English newspapers and magazines again to get a deeper understanding of China's culture.

Other similar studies show that cultural background plays an important role in the acceptance of local English media.

Asians, especially Japanese and Koreans, who share a similar cultural background as Chinese, show more general appreciation for local media than Westerners.

Ni's study also showed 57 percent of expatriates buy pirated and fake cultural products while in Shanghai, but only 14 percent buy pirated goods often in their homelands.

Many expatriates interviewed by the researchers claimed they did not know where to buy genuine products, while pirated products can be found easily.

Wow. An all-in-one expatriate survey which not only covers our reading habits in print and on the web, but also our tendency to buy more counterfeit products here! If any of you are able to lay your hands on a copy of this research, please forward it to us so we can pore through it.

Shocking video of rollerblading teen getting rolled over by a bus

WARNING: This video contains graphic images that may not be suitable for everyone.

Via Youku Buzz: A teenager on rollerblades gets rolled over by a public bus running the red light on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing and dies on the spot. Even more shocking than the accident itself is the highly harmonious handshake between the victim's father and the bus driver towards the end of the clip.

Previously on Shanghaiist
Video: Road accident in Shanghai caught live on camera

China’s 2009 holiday schedule

Ok folks, it’s official! Now that the State Council has released its 2009 holiday schedule, we can start our planning and make full use of the precious vacation time for the coming year.

The intricacies of slapping on an extra day or two to really stretch out that 3-day weekend can sometimes be tricky. Stay local or jaunt to the near abroad? How does one overcome the teaming mass of humanity clustered at the airports and train stations? More importantly, How mad would your boss really be if you stuck ALL your vacation time right after that very meaty 8-day break in October? We’ll leave that to the tricky dicks out there.

It’s been rather common for office workers to start the work week on a Sunday after 3 continuous public holidays. Of course, not all companies abide by this schedule, and not everyone gets to take Saturdays or any time off at all.

New Year: January 1st (Thu) - 3rd (Sat). Back to work on January 4th (Sun.).

Lunar New Year: January 25th (Sun) - 31st (Sat). Back to work on February 1st (Sun).

Qing Ming Festival: April 4th (Sat) – 6th (Mon).

Labor Day: May 1st (Fri) – 3rd (Sun).

Dragon Boat Festival: May 28th (Thu) – 30th (Sat). Back to work on May 31st (Sun).

National Day and Mid-Autumn: October 1st (Tue) – 8th (Thu). Back to work on October 9th (Fri)

As you can see, there are no public holidays from June to September. This means if you have no planned vacation during this time, it will be a very long (and hot) summer.

Source: "Red Sea of Tourists" by stelzer

'Kappa Girl' detained by Shanghai police

Ever since the 12 minute long sex video of 'Kappa Girl' started taking the Chinese interwebs by storm last month, police have been hard at work trying to uncover the origins of the video in a bid to stop the video from spreading further online. Well, the Shanghai PSB has now cracked the mystery — the person responsible for spreading the video was none other than 'Kappa Girl' herself. And police have since detained the young woman surnamed Huang for spreading obscene material online.

As screwed up as it is, all the jigsaw puzzle pieces in this story fit together. Soon after she became an internet sensation, 'Kappa Girl' started a blog to capitalise on her new found fame and to turn it into cold hard cash. In one of her posts, she announced that her rates would be RMB20,000 for a bar appearance, RMB50,000 for an underwear modelling assignment, RMB30,000 for an exclusive interview. It makes sense then, that 'Kappa Girl' would supply her video to anyone who asked for it so she could continue to fuel her own fame.

Another man from Hubei province (would that be 'Kappa Girl's co-star we wonder?) has also been suspected of spreading the video and Hubei police are currently trying to track him down.Related links
Shanghaiist: 'Kappa Girl' fired for sex video
China Daily: 'Porn star' detained for posting sex film on Internet
Shanghai Morning News: 上海kappa女自拍淫秽视频在网上传播被拘留
Huanqiu.com: 东楼kappa女被刑拘是罪有应得
Dahe.cn: kappa女没有“脱衣执照”

Photos: Beer Saturday at Southern Barbarian

A nice crowd of beer lovers gathered at Southern Barbarian on Saturday afternoon to ... well ... drink beer. Very good beer. And eat food. Very good food. Mission accomplished. For attendees who left with minds foggy thanks to the strong beers, these photos should jog your memory. Yes, you did drink that much.

A big thanks to American Craft Beer Partners and Southern Barbarian for helping make this happen. And thanks, as well, to Sherpa's for donating a generous prize for the lucky draw.

We were planning on posting results of the beer voting here on Shanghaiist, but it turns out most attendees wanted to keep their score sheets as a souvenir. So if you'd like to voice your opinion on the beers sampled Saturday, please feel free to do so in a comment to this post. (Our favorite might be Brooklyn Local 1, but it's really tough to pick just one.)

Thanks again to all who attended. We'll do this again sometime.

Photos by Cat Gothong

Newsflash: Foreign affairs spokesman Liu Jianchao has a sense of humour

Scene at yesterday's press conference at the Foreign Ministry according to Reuters [h/t to Imagethief]:

[Foreign Ministry spokesman] Liu Jianchao was asked what he thought of Sunday's incident, when the television journalist also called the American leader a "dog," and replied all leaders deserved respect.

"I believe we should have basic respect for the leader of a country," he told a media briefing, before adding that the attack had given him pause for thought.

"Maybe I need to watch out not just for who is raising their hands but who is taking off their shoes," said Liu, who then faced a volley of tough questions, but no hurtling objects.

For those of you bored in the office today, try whiling away your time by throwing shoes at Bush here and here.

The Shanghai Watch Co.

By Sam Jacobs

Editor's note:The writer is a partner at Jellymon, a Shanghai-based creative outfit, describing a project that he was recently involved in.

A couple of years ago Jellymon started getting into old school local Chinese brands such as Forever Bikes 1 Forever Bikes 2, Chrysanthemum Brand Tracksuits, Fei Yue (they've been bought by a company in Paris, but you can still buy the originals here for about 35rmb), Seagull Cameras and Hui Li sneakers. My partners-in-crime at Jellymon and I felt that there was something amazing there that people not only outside of China but also a new generation of local kids feeling nostalgic could get into.It seems we weren't the only ones to be thinking along these lines as about 4 months ago a Norwegian-Chinese student, YeYe put together a book about the aforementioned Hui Li (Warrior Brand) sneakers which came packaged together with a pair and retailed in Europe for over 100 euros. You can pick up a pair for yourself in Shanghai for about 30-45rmb.

About 6 months prior to this, Jellymon had started approaching a lot of these local brands to see if they fancied collaborating with us... Apparently they didn't! Most of the brands were state run and/or had fallen on hard times. They were doing most of their business making products for foreign brands. If anyone had wanted to do a million Mickey Mouse watches, it would have been a very different story but all that Jellymon wanted to to do was to update classics and to do so in very very limited runs.

Around the same time my partners and I decided we needed a bit more fire-power so we contacted our friends at Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai to see if they would be interested in joining in on a collaboration with us. Eventually, Jellymon decided to work together to design 5 watches along with their talented art director, Wei Wei.

Finally after loads of meetings and chain smoking/tea drinking sessions with the old bosses of The Shanghai Watch Co. we got them to agree to work with us.

The factory which was set up in 1955 is located near the Bund and although in their past they have produced over 120 million watches they are definitely a bit past their prime. They hadn't produced the model we liked for over ten years but thanks to a younger product manager of the factory they seemed to be getting the fact that people were gaining a renewed interest in Chinese brands.

After 6 months of toing-and-froing, old machines being re-built and samples being produced and rejected over and over we finally had the first ever collaboration with a Chinese state run brand. The watches are being sold in Colette in Paris, Kidrobot in New York and in Shanghai at The Source, Xinle Lu.

It was a mad experience but we are really happy with the result and are still in talks with various other of these brands to try and make more fun collaborations.

For more info check here www.wkshanghai.com/shwatch

A drink at the top of Shanghai: 100 Century Avenue, Shanghai World Financial Center

The sky was a rare blue yesterday, so we decided it was high time to check out the views from the top of Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC). The observation deck has been getting consistently good reviews even priced at 150 RMB (to get to the 100th floor) and with the added convenience of getting to queue for hours. So we've been avoiding the place for a few months waiting for the hype and novelty to die down a little.

We arrived at 4:30 on Sunday afternoon hoping to catch sunset, but, were informed by the attendant that the queues would last until after dark. So instead, we headed up to the new bar and restaurant called 100 Century Avenue in the Park Hyatt (floor 91, inside the SWFC) for a drink.

100 Century Avenue (just opened at the end of November??) is undeniably an impressive venue with incredible views, a bar on the left and an open-kitchen restaurant on the right, with mosaic-tile floors, three-storey-high ceilings with floor to ceiling windows on one side, looking down on the top tip of Jin Mao Tower, with the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Huangpu River and Puxi in the background.

100 Century Avenue is modern, designy, a little pretentious but not uncomfortably so (several couples were reading books and relaxing over coffee at low tables next to the window) and it lacks the sterility of most hotel bars. The place has the feeling of Aqua in Hong Kong or something Tokyo-ish and most importantly, it beats the socks, pants, and sweaters off any other view bars in the city like 789, Vue Bar and Cloud 9. Although considering that Vue and Cloud 9 are also Hyatt properties, 100 Century Avenue, is not in direct competition. But who knows, soon another bar will likely be bigger, higher and grander in Shanghai. Just be patient.

We especially enjoyed the individual control panels in each of 100 Century Avenue's toilet stalls provided a number of exciting options from washing, vibrating, oscillating, and drying. Very hygienic and environmentally friendly. We liked that.

The staff were polite but a little slow getting our bill (we waited half an hour). My G&T was 65 RMB, an orange juice: 50 RMB, a tea: 60 RMB, beer: 65 RMB, glass of wine: 90 RMB—so not more expensive than any other such venue.

So, if you are stuck in unreasonably long queues, waiting to go to the 100th floor of Shanghai, a drink at 100 Century Avenue isn't a lowly second option.

Directions: Map
Address: 100 Century Avenue, Park Hyatt Shanghai (Shanghai World Financial Center), 100 Century Avenue, Pudong
Tel: 021 6888 1234
Email: danny.vanelten@hyatt.com

Photo by Fortunato Facchinetti.
Originally posted on ChinaTravel.net.

Chinese Football: Agony as Shenhua blow championship in closing minutes

Just one victory in their last five games and a shocking penalty miss saw Shanghai Shenhua hand the Chinese Super League title on a plate to rivals Shandong Luneng on the final day of the 2008 season on Sunday afternoon. (video highlights)

Picture of Hamilton Ricard courtesy of Sina SportsShandong started the day two points ahead of Shenhua in the table, and were expected to beat mid-table Guangzhou at home to wrap up the title. Shenhua knew that a victory against local rivals Zhejiang Lvcheng, combined with Shandong failing to win their match, would see them snatch the title on goal difference. So with an air of tension, all games in the final round of the season kicked off simultaneously at 3.30pm, to avoid the potential for match-fixing allegations to arise if teams already knew the results of other games affecting their final standing.

Thanks to Kylie Minogue, Shenhua were playing at the soulless Yuanshen Athletics Stadium in Pudong instead of their spiritual home, Hongkou. An air of tension filled the air, as home fans had one ear on how events were unfolding elsewhere – news of a goal in Shandong’s match against Guangzhou would surely poop the party. Just to add even more spice to the already flavorsome mix, it was also a local derby for Shenhua as their opponents, Zhejiang Lvcheng, are based just down the road in Hangzhou. Ominously, since their promotion to the CSL last year, all the previous three league games between Shenhua and LvCheng had been drawn.

Shenhua started positively and indeed spent much of the first half camped in their opponents box. It was no surprise when Paraguyan striker Justo Rolando Meza put the home side in front after 10 minutes with a well-taken header. Shenhua continued to push forward, only for Zhejiang to equalize after a rather fortuitous break of the ball fell to Algerian striker Karim Benounes who slotted home neatly to send the sizable away support behind the goal into raptures.

Somewhat perturbed, The Blue Devils, Shenhua’s largest fan group, then took advantage of their opponents being the only other team in the league to come from a city speaking a similar dialect to their own, by abusing the visiting fans in Shanghainese. An angry chanted chorus “Lvcheng Dui, gang lu Dui!” (Greentown team, stupid cock team!” This drew amusement from the rest of the derby match crowd.

Encouraged by news that Shandong were being held 0-0, Shenhua pushed forward again. Chance after chance went begging, before Cheng Liang finally put the Blues in front again on the stroke of time with another header. Half-time, 2-1 to Shenhua, and critically, Shandong were still drawing 0-0 with Guangzhou. The stands buzzed with excitement at half time – Shenhua were 45 minutes away from their third league title.

The second half followed the first half closely. Shenhua controlled the game and wasted numerous chances. On around the 65 minute mark, a blatant handball resulted in a penalty to Shenhua and the chance to put the result beyond doubt. The anticipation was electric as Hamilton Ricard stepped up to take the penalty. The crowd waited with baited breath and bit their nails. Zhejiang’s players looked on knowing the game was as good as over if it went in. All eyes in the stadium focused on the ball as it was placed on the spot. With the score still tied at Shandong, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Ricard stepped up….

And fired his shot right at the Zhejiang keeper.

The crowd could scarcely believe Shenhua had scored yet another chance to make the game safe. And it was inevitable when Zhejiang equalized with just 15 minutes to go, the product of some rather slack defending at the back. Shenhua huffed and puffed for the remainder of the game, and young striker Gao Lin spurned a great chance when he elected to dummy the ball rather than shoot; his attempt to wrong-foot the visitors defence failed as there was no team-mate there to take advantage. Try as they might, Shenhua could not find a winner. And with that… the title slipped through their grasp. Final whistle – Shenhua 2-2 Zhejiang Lvcheng – and, cruelly, Shandong 0-0 Guangzhou. In other words, had Shenhua won, the title was theirs and the whole season essentially turned on Ricard’s missed penalty.

If the game itself was not hard enough to swallow, the run-in made things even worse. Shenhua had their chances to at least go into the final game in pole position. But they won just one of their last five games, and even contrived to throw away a four goal lead in their match relegated Liaoning two weeks ago, who scored four times in the last 30 minutes to draw 4-4. A 0-0 draw to fallen giants Dalian last week did Shenhua no favours either – it was a game Shenhua were expected to win, Dalian only just avoiding relegation this year.

Shenhua have the consolation of joining Shandong, Beijing Guo'an and Tianjin Teda in next seasons revamped Asian Champions League. But that was scant consolation for the fans, some of whom found the disappointment all too much. Xiao Tan, a 26-year-old Blue Devils member, told Shanghaiist. “I cried today. At least if we had won, and Shandong won, it would have been better. But not like this. And that penalty miss… good heavens. I have no idea.”

Shenhua’s reputation for being bottlers and under-achievers is, it has to be said, well-deserved. Former coach Wu Jingui told the Shanghai Daily, "Shenhua takes the lead but doesn't know how to keep it. It has been a problem for the team for years," adding, "The team tends to make mistakes at critical moments."

Shandong overtake Shenhua in the all-time championship table to claim their third title, on the back of wins in 1999 and 2006. A new season awaits Shenhua however and the team can take comfort from some very encouraging performances of attacking football. If they can carry this form into next year, they will once again be among the front runners.

Next season’s CSL will offer more derby action to Shenhua – Jiangsu Shuntian of Nanjing return to the top league after an absence of 15 years. The 2009 season will kick off next March.

Photo of the Day: Sausage and eggs

Photo by elephantonabicycle

Trailer: Chandni Chowk to China

The made-in-China Bollywood film that we told you about 13 months ago is about to hit the big screen soon. Earlier known as Made in China and Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo, the film Chandni Chowk¹ to China which combines Bollywood dancing with kung fu, and Hindi actors with Mainland Chinese ones will debut worldwide on 16 Jan 2009 starring Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Mithun Chakraborty and Hong Kong martial arts film veteran Gordon Lau (劉家輝). This comedic cultural mashup looks like something we can all look forward to in our neighbourhood DVD store very soon.

¹ Chandni Chowk (lit. moonlit square or market in Hindi), is one of the oldest and busiest markets in central north Delhi, India.

Film synopsis from Wikipedia after the jump:

An action-comedy about a simple cook (played by Akshay Kumar) from Chandni Chowk mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese warrior by the villagers of an oppressed Chinese village.

From the hustle-bustle of Chandni Chowk to the hutongs of Beijing, the electric energy of Shanghai and sheer breathtaking Chinese landscapes, Chandni Chowk To China chronicles the lunatic adventures of a hapless simpleton cook from Delhi. As he goes to seek his destiny, he finds himself thrown into a crazy world of megalomaniac villains, femmes fatales, crazy inventors, Chinese mysticism and outlandish kung-fu assassins.

Shanghaiist/Cotton's Holiday Party: The weather outside is .... delightful

Early weather reports for the weekend are looking quite nice, so it looks like late-December outdoor seating will be a definite possibility at the Shanghaiist/Cotton's holiday party this Saturday at the new Cotton's on Xinhua Lu (pictured). And if the outdoor heaters (and bar) aren't cozy enough for you, head on inside the villa for the real wood-burning fireplaces (and more bars). And DJ El Nomo!

Here are the party details:

What: A Very Shanghai Christmas, a holiday party presented by Shanghaiist and Cotton's
When: Saturday, December 20, 8 pm 'til late
Where: The new Cotton's at 294 Xinhua Lu, near Dingxi Lu (新华路294号,近定西路)
Music: Early on, all your holiday favorites. Later on, DJ El Nomo (of Bananas fame) on the holiday wheels of steel.
Santa: He'll be there! Get your photo taken on his lap! For free! (Professional portraits taken by Stephen Yang.)
Special Drinks: Holiday-inspired cocktails and beers from American Craft Beer Partners.
Movies: Watch some holiday classics!
Fireplaces: Two of them!
Outdoor Seating: In December? You bet. Assuming no rain, portable heaters will be brought out to the garden.
Entry: RMB 50, includes one beer from American Craft Beer Partners.

A Very Shanghai Christmas on ...
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Shanghai Expat
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Party flyer after the jump ...

Jens Lekman did the airplane dance, and we smiled

Hmmm. Maybe we have a thing for Swedish guys in tightly tapered pants and white dress shoes? Don't tell the wife! Had a great time at JZ last night watching Jens Lekman and Viktor Sjöberg prove to us that a guy, a guitar and a DJ are more than enough to keep us happy on a Wednesday (at first, we were hoping for some kind of horn section, it being a jazz venue and all). Jens and Viktor worked beautifully together and really seemed to be enjoying themselves, in their own shy kind of way. Highlights for us were probably "A Postcard to Nina" (with backstory in English and Mandarin) and "A Sweet Summer's Night On Hammer Hill" (we're suckers for a Warren G reference). Normally we'd post some photos and video clips, but we lost our camera's memory card and Taobao didn't deliver the replacement yesterday like they were supposed to. We don't see any Shanghai videos on YouTube yet or any photos on Flickr yet — so if you have some, send them our way (info at shanghaiist.com). And about the airplane dance, is it wrong that this is how we assume all people dance in Sweden? We highly recommend you head out to Glamour Bar tonight for Jens' final Shanghai show. And if you still need more convincing, check out these glowing reviews of his latest album.

Photo of Jens Lekman in Singapore (we think) by Ox Lee.

DJ Bone: Top-100 DJ List 'hype and gimmicks'

A highly respected African-American DJ and producer, from the most influential city in the history of electronic music, has criticized the ranking system which is used by many clubs in China, particularly Shanghai, when deciding which DJs to bring to the country, as being useless.

Detroit’s DJ Bone, who will make his China debut in Shanghai on Saturday night with local promoters Void (of which this Shanghaiist is a member), says the Top-100 DJ list, compiled by prominent dance music industry publication DJ Magazine, is simply a “popularity contest and less about which DJs are good.”Mainstream clubs in Shanghai regularly publish adverts which push their guest DJ's inclusion in the list as the main selling point. But the list itself is shaped by commercial factors meaning that talented cult underground DJs who spend time honing their skills and abilities instead of their marketability, are not included, resulting in China missing out on some of the best electronic music talent the world has to offer.

DJ Bone said, “The top 100 DJ list reflects a very narrow view of what is supposedly good - those lists are only about marketing products and selling magazines. I don't place any stock in those lists because it should be about the DJ connecting to the people through music, not fashion, hype or gimmicks. Popular does not equal good.”

Ironically, one Top-100 ranked DJ who will be performing in Shanghai at the same time as DJ Bone is UK stalwart Sasha. Bone said, “The difference between us is I look at him as more of a status DJ, due to popularity from press and marketing and I see myself more as the people's DJ. I've never been about the fame and fortune DJing could bring me, just my love for the art of DJing and spreading new, soulful sounds across the globe,” adding, “I also think that my style of DJing is way more exciting than Sasha's for real!”

Sasha’s computer-based setup has caused him problems in Shanghai in past appearances, but DJ Bone’s three-deck skills leave him immune to PC problems. He said “I developed my three turntable technique to specifically create two things that I think are missing in most DJ sets...excitement and the unknown. I felt that there was always a lack of action, that the DJ was just acting as a human jukebox or "record-player". They drop the needle and start cheerleading to the crowd (see Top-100 DJ list leader Armin Van Buuren doing just that in Shanghai two weeks ago) to cover up the lack of excitement they could produce physically. There was / is also no anticipation at gigs anymore...no element of wondering what the DJ will do next. This inspired me to try and push things ahead of the curve as far as what people expect from a DJ.”

Having been pushing Detroit Techno for over ten years Bone has built an impressive discography on his own label, Subject Detroit, and prestigious record labels such as Juan Atkins’ Metroplex, and Belgium-based Music Man. Very much true to his roots, Bone maintains that Detroit is as relevant as ever to electronic music. He said of his label, “Subject Detroit started as an outlet for me to release music I felt I needed for my DJ sets, because I didn't hear what I needed on most other labels. It was also a way to focus on the music itself and not just the marketing of the music,”

The automotive manufacturing heart of Detroit was ripped out years ago, creating a host of economic and social problems which still exist to this day. But the deprivation and urban decay which followed created an environment which spawned one of the most significant musical movements in recent history. Bone believes the city itself is a huge inspiration to him, just as it has been for other luminary DJs from Detroit such as Jeff Mills, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Robert Hood (who played in Shanghai last June) and Carl Craig.

To get a feel for the connection between the city and the music, check out DJ Bone’s track “Change” on YouTube - a song about self-belief and staying true to one’s desired path in life, set against a montage of sepia-filtered photographs of Detroit and its various landmarks, such as the Renaissance Center. Bone said “Subject Detroit is about the future of sound expanded from its original inspiration (Detroit). It's like a soundtrack for the city, its people and its places. Subject Detroit is all about the vibe and the essence of Detroit. It's like the air that the city breathes in and out. We want to reach anyone with an open mind for sound, soul and melody. Subject Detroit is Advanced Black Music.”

The connection between location and music, and the influence environment can have on artists, has been important for many genres. In Shanghai, the electronic music scene is still developing, but in recent years, native Shanghainese producers such as B6 and MHP have emerged, thanks to the local focus of the Antidote crew. DJ Bone’s thinks the Shanghai scene can benefit from developing its own style. “My advice would be to develop your own sound and push it as far into the future funk as you can. Not just with technology but with soul and spirit. And the main thing is to NOT COPY ANYONE...be original and stay true to your own vibe!”

And it’s a lack of innovation in the scene which frustrates Bone, who criticizes artists who are living on past glories. “The funny thing is that all of the producers I used to admire are only DJs now because they don't make music anymore. And somehow they still get booked based on very old releases. It's almost like a greatest hits tour or just nostalgia. I only look forward nowadays so I really enjoy Stephen Brown, Trench, Mister X (Detroit), Mark Williams and a bunch of unknown guys from Detroit I'm mentoring right now. I call them my ‘Tru Warriors’.”

However, Bone said of his upcoming show in Shanghai, “I have wanted to play in China for quite some time now. From what I understand, the crowds at VOID are very open to new sounds and are not genre specific. If it's good...it's good kind of mindset. I like that a lot!”

Most of all for Bone, its about one thing only - the music. He concluded, “I'm on a mission to give people what they've been missing for so long. No magazines, no lights, no fights, no drugs....just soul....all soul. Thanks and get ready Shanghai!”

Void Presents: DJ Bone @ The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu. Saturday 10pm. 60rmb on the door.

Free second screening: Meiwenti Productions Short Erotic Film Awards

Okay, here is a tip to make your weekend. Tickets to the Meiwenti Short Erotic Film Awards sold out about a month ago. However, for all those of you who couldn't buy tickets, Le Royal Meridien Hotel and Meiwenti are offering a free screening of all the short films on Saturday beginning at 9:30 pm and finishing around 11:30, when everyone who attended the film awards will arrive at Meridien for the afterparty. To read more about the awards, check out Smart Shanghai's interview with Juan Vargas who organized the event.

The Free Screening will take place at the address below:

789 Nanjing Lu Bar
65th floor of Le Royal Meridien Hotel,
789 Nanjing East Lu,
near Xizang Lu,
opposite to People Square
南京东路789号，近西藏路人民广场对面
上海世茂皇家艾美酒店64-66层