If not for our friend who was scheduled to guest DJ there, we really wouldn't have headed to Springtime Roller Revival. For one, the roller rink appears to be located in the middle-of-nowhere (Yichuan Road near Ganquan Road, anyone?). Factor in the 200RMB cover, probably the priciest we've seen in all of our two-plus years in Shanghai, we weren't quite optimistic if anyone would make the trip there on a Friday night. Turns out we... [continue]

The crowds were assembled, the flags were being waved, and the nationalism was fervent — Shanghai was ready for the torch relay. We'd got up nice and early, aiming for People's Square but, due to the volume of people, only making it as far as the corner of Tibet Road (yeah, we know). After waiting in the strong early morning sun for a couple of hours, the chants of "中国加油!“ ("Come on China!") got louder... [continue]

Video from Daedalum Films Note from the editors: Our friends, Luis Tapia and Arnaud Kamphuis from Daedalum Films (hire them for all your video needs!) have sent us this wonderful video of the Shanghaiist Earthquake Benefit at Sasha's in which you guys helped to raise the eye-popping amount of RMB228,336 (sorry we just had to repeat it!). Apart from that long list of sponsors and partners we'd like to thank for making the event... [continue]

That's right, lots of road closures, stronger than average nationalistic fervour, and even more tat being sold on the streets than normal can only mean one thing: the moment we've all been waiting for is here! The international leg of the relay might have been less than harmonious, and it might be three days later than originally expected (following an understandable postponement for this week's official mourning period), but tomorrow [Friday] will see the Olympic... [continue]

UPDATE: More photos are available here (link in Chinese). We should warn you that they are pretty tasteless though. (h/t to Danwei) ----- The New Travel Weekly (旅游新报), a Chongqing based magazine, has been closed down by the government after it ran a series of pictures of scantily clad models surrounded by rubble at the start of this week's 3-day period of mourning for the lives lost in the Sichuan earthquake. Government officials in the... [continue]

It's perfect BBQ weather! As we're sure you've all heard, tonight's the night for the Shanghaiist Benefit for Sichuan’s Earthquake Victims at Sasha's. Word travels fast in Shanghai and some people have received the benefit announcement from five different sources! The value of the raffle prizes has now topped 30,000 RMB and includes travel vouchers, hotel suites, jewelry, wine, beer, concert tickets, and much more. Click here for the complete list. Thanks to all the... [continue]

Shanghaiist has been nonstop busy for the past several days fielding emails and returning calls from companies interested in donating to the raffle at ‘The Great Shanghaiist Benefit for Earthquake Victims at Sasha's’. It’s a great reason to feel overworked. How the raffle works: Everyone who attends the BBQ for dinner will get one chance to win a prize. If you want to donate additional money to our designated charity, the Foundation for Poverty Alleviation,... [continue]

If, like us, you've never been in an earthquake before, then this amateur video we found on NoCommentTV that was taken during the recent earthquake (exact location unknown) may give you some idea.... [continue]

Looks like evangelist Franklin Graham who previously made the news in the China Daily for "hoping to do more for China" is seriously putting his money where his mouth is. Speaking from Shanghai after a tour of Beijing, Hangzhou and Nanjing, the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (named after his dad) and international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse has just donated a whopping RMB2 million, or US$285,000. That's a whole lot of money,... [continue]

UPDATE, 18:09 The first Japanese relief workers are expected to leave tonight. A group of 60 earthquake specialists together with sniffer dogs will head to Sichuan over the next few days. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has appealed for earth-moving equipment to aid rescue efforts in the region. Many relief workers are currently sifting through the rubble with their hands according to ABC News. The latest official death toll stands at 19,500 but is expected to... [continue]

As we told you earlier, there had been very real fears that the Zipingba Dam, 6 miles upstream from the devastated city of Dujiangyan, was displaying "extremely dangerous" cracks. The People's Daily is now reporting that the dam is "structurally stable and safe" following a full inspection. "The conclusion was reached after a panel of experts, led by Jiao Yong, Vice Minister of Water Resources, rushed to the site and made a thorough inspection of... [continue]

Though reports are varied, it now appears that the current death from the Wenchuan earthquakes is somewhere between 17,000 and 20,000 (latter figure from the Time China Blog, although most of the media is still reporting the official count at a more conservative 15,000. It's still to0 early to say just how high that figure will climb once everything is said and done, but an earlier Time's estimate put that number at around 100,000 (their... [continue]

By Julien Bertrand and Derek Sandhaus As mentioned earlier, not a day had passed since the earthquake hit and we were already seeing cynical reactions from media outlets like The First Post blaming the devastation on China's rush to modernization, but the vast majority of the coverage has been positive and supportive of the country in its time of crisis. Just yesterday, the New York Times wrote a piece on the overwhelmingly positive reaction to... [continue]

The environment NY Times: Disaster Set Off by Colliding Land Masses NPR: Geology, Engineering Contribute to Quake Damage Probe International: China's deadly quake: Is the Three Gorges Dam to blame? Treehugger: China earthquake threatens nearby dams, environment Rescue efforts The Guardian: Ill-equipped soldiers face losing battle in huge rescue operation Press TV: China rejects foreign rescue teams NY Times: Quake toll rises; China struggles to reach victims Xinhua: Wen: 90 more copters for quake... [continue]

Film star Jackie Chan has donated RMB10million to help those in need following the earthquake in Sichuan province. Other celebrities have also dipped into their wallets. From CriEnglish: "Jackie Chan also sent his consolation to the quake victims and encouraged them to hold on as "people all over the country are with you," the star said. The One Foundation initiated by kungfu star Jet Li has made a donation of one million yuan and... [continue]

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Melissa Chan of Al-Jazeera is one of several foreign correspondents currently in Sichuan Province and files this story from Juyuan Middle School at Dujiangyan (都江堰) where Premier Wen Jiabao was earlier.... [continue]

May holiday was looking a bit bleak for music fans after the cancellation of the Midi Festival both here and in Beijing. However, despite initial setbacks Yuyintang are determined to put something on. Here's the breaking news from YYT:Since Midi is cancelled, we think there should be something special down here for the May holiday. How speical is it? Well...that depends on you! Although there won't be some stages outside, you can still have fun... [continue]