We seriously LOVE some of the things we hear about going on in our city. Yes, some of the people we meet here can be harsh and mean, but this story goes to show that humanity still exists in Shanghai. Two weeks ago, Rebekah Pothaar, an executive with Ctrip.com, found that her ayi's husband was in a serious motorbike collision. They went with her to the hospital and found that surgery was going to cost......

Wondering what the Chinese media are saying about Lust, Caution? We found the following story from the Information Times (信息时报) entitled Survey: Fans rushing to imitate positions in Lust Caution 调查:影迷争相模仿《色,戒》经典床戏 dated 7 Nov on Xinhua — yes, the website everyone goes to for high-quality Chinese journalism. Shanghaiist was so inspired by the spirit of investigative journalism exhibited by this reporter that we decided we had to translate the whole story to share with you.......

One of our favorite Chinese sites seems to have run afoul of the net nanny: vip.bokee.com has been on again off again, but perfectly viewable with a proxy. Using the proxy we saw an article about a list published in a Chengdu newspaper of the top-grossing authors in China, at least based on royalties from the sales of their books. At the top of the list was a Guo Jingming, a young author (born in......

An early Christmas present? Or is someone just napping over at China internet police headquarters? Regardless, the photos over at Flickr, our photo sharing website of choice, appear to be accessible at 7 pm on Saturday night. Yay? We'll see. Working for you? The above screen shot of our Contribute Page, which shows a live stream of Flickr photos tagged "shanghaiist," was taken while using Safari with no kind of proxy or VPN or Flickr-unblocker......

Ching Cheong, the Hong Kong journalist who was chief China correspondent for the Singapore-based Straits Times, is ailing in prison somewhere in the Guangdong province right now. On 22 April 2005, Ching was apprehended by Chinese security agents in Guangzhou, where he was to meet a source who had promised to give him a copy of a politically sensitive manuscript on former premier Zhao Ziyang. It took one and a half years before he was......

New York Yankees sign on first Chinese players. The New York Yankees announced today that they have signed left-handed pitcher Kai Liu and catcher Zhenwang Zhang to minor league contracts, becoming the first Major League team to sign a player from the People's Republic of China with approval from the country's baseball association. China Fines Six Banks for Lending to Stock Purchases China's banking regulator fined six banks for making loans that were illegally......

Yesterday afternoon, Shanghai's Jin Mao Tower was scaled by the 'real' Spiderman, French urban climber Alain Robert. Jin Mao worker songboshi was on the ball and caught video which was uploaded to YouTube. Robert's earlier attempt in 2001 was halted by authorities. In the past, Robert had coyly hinted at his desire to climb Shanghai's highest (functional) building. The Jin Mao Tower, which currently ranks as the fourth highest in Asia stands at 420.6 meters......

Streetwear retailer Source opened its doors two weeks ago. To announce their arrival on the Shanghai scene, they threw a grand fete, replete with red carpets and media crews. Shanghaiist was there to ogle the models sashaying and skateboarding down the runway, to ooh-and-ahh at the impressive retail space—it’s one of them fancypants “concept stores”—and to nod eagerly each time someone offered us yet another beverage. They’ve got some labels that our inner fashion whore......

If you start banning dogs on the grounds that they are potentially dangerous and a public nuisance, why stop there?Want to know the status of Wikipedia in China? Just keep checking this blog.When ordering from Hello Pizza, best to ask what pizzas they do have, rather than telling them what you want. Slim pickings. Is this a sign that the end is near?Want to know the top 100 Chinese websites? Look at the "Chinese Alexa."We......

We know a little something about the ladies: when it's that time of the month, the last thing you need is the unwanted attentions of men. So, if you want to close the doors and shutter the windows for a week, we can understand -- but would you make an exception for Yao Ming? The Yao Ming tampon, that is? But don't get excited too soon -- this is but one of many companies that......

Did you hear the rumor that Shanghai is planning on building a 700 meter skyscraper? Seven hundred meters -- a structure that would dwarf the Oriental Pearl Tower (467.9 meters), the Jinmao Tower (420.5 meters), the yet-to-be-completed Shanghai World Financial Center (491.9 meters) and even the Taipei 101 Tower (508 meters), currently the world's tallest building. How very useful. Real estate developer Lujiazui Group refutes the claim, however, saying the height of the building and......

Some have been heard to lament China's love of traditional aspects of society, citing many traditions as being hinderances to real social development and progression. Those people who do feel so may be dismayed, though not surprised, at the recent news that filial piety is still given such importance in 2006: The city will select 1,000 families and 100 people to act as role models of respect for parents and elders. The event will play......

We wonder if the folks at Frito-Lay are aware that their Doritos brand has branched out and entered the banana market here in Shanghai. Cool Ranch Bananas. Mmmmmmm. Also on Shanghaiist: American oranges (Made in China)......

Selected headlines from today's Metro Express, Shanghai's free weekday commuter paper: 胡锦涛主席启程出访五国Chairman Hu Jintao sets out to visit five countries, including 美利坚合众国 (the USA). Did you hear about the dinner at Bill Gates' house? 家乐福涉嫌卖假LV被索赔50万LV seeks RMB 500,000 in compensation from Shanghai Carrefour over suspected sale fake LV bags. 美国普利策新闻奖揭晓USA's Pulitzer Prizes announced. The "article" is simply a caption for a photo that won the Feature Photography prize, one of Todd Heisler's photographs of caskets......