Following on from the story of a straight couple's clinch on the metro in January, the latest video doing the Chinese internet rounds is an all-girl couple getting frisky on line 2. In an attempt to justify this blatant voyeurism, we would say that we find the online reaction (as translated by ChinaSmack), to be the relevant and fairly positive aspect of this story:"If this happened everyday on Shanghai’s metro, Shanghai’s would no longer have... [continue]

Refreshing and boozy- sparkling wine in a can is like a cool wave of refreshment breaking on your sweaty summer brow. At 4% vol alcohol you probably shouldn't have too many on your way to work, but really, who are we to judge? Available in Chardonnay or Rose from Alldays. 6.50RMB... [continue]

On an average Saturday night, the funniest thing about Racks in Xintiandi is that they charge 98RMB+ an hour for pool when most other bars let you play for free. This weekend however a former organiser of "Chopschticks" is bringing in some hot comedy talent from NYC to amuse the suckers. Jesse Joyce and Keith Alberstadt are both based in New York and will be joint headlining tonight and Saturday as part of their Asian... [continue]

Direct from SmartShanghai's newly spruced up website comes this piece of bar news: "The British Bulldog ... has completed their renovations and is (soft) open for your drinking needs. Apparently these renovations were quite intense with a new second floor terrace, a new DJ booth, and sports relegated to their third floor with a private viewing room for you and your 'mates.'" SmSh also reports (in The Wire, which you can't link to directly for... [continue]

This sounds like a joke, but it's absolutely true. Luxury goods manufacturer Louis Vuitton have produced a series of three audio guides to China. Voiced by some of the top actresses in the business, the guides are produced like high-budget radio plays with sound effects, a plinky-plonky piano soundtrack and a plot. The Beijing and Hong Kong guides are voiced by Gong Li and Shu Qi respectively whilst Shanghai gets Joan Chen ("Lust, Caution", "The... [continue]

Anyone who's into rock knows that Windows Underground is the most reliable place to hear good live music at the weekend right now. The new Nanjing Xi Lu venue took the baton from Tembo as Windows' live messenger (arf!) a few months ago and has been packing them in from day one. During the week there is still the occasional band, but Underground has enough space and seats to be a comfortable bar /... [continue]

Photo of harvest time in Shaanxi Province by elephantonabicycle Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.... [continue]

Standing a foot taller and six inches broader than anyone else on HuaiHai Lu, the young man who calls himself Red Laowai (George to his Mother) is easy to spot. Although this is his first trip to mainland China, George has already gathered a large following by recording video clips singing (mostly Communist) Chinese songs and releasing them on the internet. "I love the passion of those songs. They're just so much fun." Clips of... [continue]

A month after the tragedy in Sichuan you’d be forgiven for feeling a little compassion fatigue. Whilst the focus of the recovery process has changed from the desperate speed of the first few days, there is still a lot of work to be done repairing damage both physical and emotional. On that theme then, tonight sees an event hosted by a group of Shanghai’s creative arts and fashion crowd called Heartbeat in Putuo. The organisers... [continue]

The Brits are trying to pretend it isn't happening, and the Americans didn't realise it was in the first place, but Euro2008 is now fully underway. Time differences are the burden of all Shanghai-based football fans, and as this tournament is being held in Austria and Switzerland, these matches are no exception. During the group stages the games start at either midnight or 2:45 Shanghai time. Quarter Finals are split between 2:45 and 3:45 kick-offs... [continue]

Tonight (Tuesday, 3 June) "Hip-Hop" group the Black Eyed Peas are playing a hastily arranged benefit gig for around 700 people at the Shanghai Concert Hall. Although previously set up as a brown-nosing corporate show for Chivas and Pernod Ricard the invite-only show will now apparently help victims of the Sichuan earthquake in some way. "We will invite our VIP guests, main customers in China, along with media to the concert"says Chivas spokeswoman Vanessa Wright... [continue]

“Asia is a market we have never really cracked. They don’t think they smell, but people everywhere smell” - Russell Taylor, Unilever - Whilst the UK currently leads the rest of the world in deodorant spending at around 125RMB per person annually, China's average is 0RMB with only 7 per cent of all of Asia reckoned to be using BO basher. It's no surprise then that Unilever (the people who make Axe / Lynx, Sure,... [continue]

It's that time of the year again — temperatures are creeping up, and we spotted our first shirtless market stall holder at the weekend; summer is just around the corner. For those of us still refusing to crank up the a/c just yet, here is a handy little device that might help you get a more restful night's sleep. It's a plastic pillow made from small tiles, laced together with strong elastic for comfort and... [continue]

The good people of KFC have been handing out national pride along with their popcorn Chicken lately: "众志成城 加油，中国" translates (very) roughly as "Everybody join together! Come on China!" Available at a KFC 15 metres away from wherever you're at. Meanwhile, several hundred residents in Nanjing protested outside a McDonald's outlet for daring to advertise with a bright red leaflet on the May 19 edition of Modern Express News 《现代快报》. The furore eventually led... [continue]

The world's longest sea-bridge from Shanghai to Ningbo opened on schedule (May 1st), cutting travel time to the port city from 4 hours to 150 minutes. However not everything is going according to plan. Photo by NZJY Reuters reports that the view from the 36km behemoth is so arresting that drivers have been stopping their cars to take a look, causing regular accidents and over 300 arrests. Since it will be another two years (two... [continue]

Set back from the junction of XinLe Lu and XiangYang Lu, opposite a blue-domed Russian Orthodox Church stands the Mansion Hotel. A limestone building in manicured grounds, this place gives off the same whiff of 1920’s luxury that you see in the grand old financial institutions of the Bund; if you like Hamilton House you’ll love this place. On the fifth and highest floor, the Mansion Veranda restaurant is one of the nicest terraces in... [continue]

After a successful month running at reduced capacity, the new Terminal 2 at Pudong Airport took another 18 airlines under its wing today. Whilst you should double check when you get to the airport (the airline who sold you the ticket may not be the one running the plane), the full list of airlines now operating from Pudong reads as follows:AeroflotAerosvit (Ukraine)Air CanadaAir China Air IndiaAir MacauAir New ZealandAlitaliaANA NipponAsiana (RoK)British AirwaysCathay PacificCebu PacificDragon AirEVA... [continue]

At the Sheraton Hotel there's a new hero in town: Spiderman is washing the windows. The idea came up in a brainstorming session with housekeeping staff, possibly taking inspiration from the human Spiderman who climbed the Jinmao last year. So far Spidey is receiving a thumbs up from the boys in the suits and guests alike, so if you live in Hongqiao, it looks like your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman is here to stay! UPDATE 28/4/2008-... [continue]

After figuring out where we like to eat we thought it would be fun to ask Shanghaiist contributors about their favourite places to drink. The discussion sparked arguments that are still echoing through the corridors of Shanghaiist HQ, but one thing is clear: we like dive bars and cocktails. Time Passage No 183, Lane 1038 Huashan Lu (nr Fuxing Xi Lu) 华山路 1038弄183号，近复兴西路 tel: 6240-2588 Cheap drinks, good food, and an incredible house cover band... [continue]

The random group selections for the Men and Women‘s Olympic Football (AKA soccer) competition were made last night in a blaze of Beijing razzmatazz. For those of you who haven't been paying attention, most of the original entrants to the football have long since been eliminated through a series of qualifying matches and only 16 teams remain. Of the few, the proud that will be playing in (amongst other host cities) Shanghai, both Chinese... [continue]