A last-minute add to the program over at JZ, the Copenhagen-based group called Jazz Kamikaze who have been getting rave reviews will be playing this thursday night at JZ Club. In fact, when Shanghaiist was in Copenhagen last February, we didn't hear the band but got to jam a bit with some of the players in it. They were great, very creative and vibrant musicians. And killer players! So we're expecting a great show from......

Not that free jazz hasn't landed plenty of times already here in Shanghai, in fact all too often jazz bands that come through town are a bit too "free" for most audiences. But such is the nature of that beast called free jazz...it's certainly not for everyone. But in any case now it has begun to have its own regular performance by a locally-based group, so those of you who do like this unique musical......

It's criminal to live so close to the fantastic JZ Club and actually get to the place as infrequently as we do, but we're determined to mend our recidivistic ways after spending a thoroughly spot-on Sunday afternoon there this weekend. There are few other places you can just blunder into from the street and, without spending a groat (though yesterday the Guinness proved too much of a draw) to be blown away by some great......

This photo was taken at the Changshu Lu subway station yesterday. See that new yellow sign? It says:When the alarm starts sounding and the platform screen door lights start to blink, please do not board or alight the train. We wonder if that sign has come up because of last month's death of the unlucky man who got caught between the subway and platform screen doors. Micah Sittig has a translation of a chilling eye-witness......

We remember, a few months ago, walking to Embre on Changshu Lu only to discover it had closed down, after decent reviews and six months of existence. We were exploring the restaurant options near our new apartment, and our second choice, a tapas place on Huashan Lu, also was no longer in operation — really, the building had been leveled. Food and beverage places disappear quickly here in Shanghai ... but sometimes they reappear quickly,......

Summer is here and everything is heating up. Leading up to this weekend, this is what Shanghaiist thinks is going to be hot today and tomorrow. Today, Wednesday May 30th Texans In Exile Monthly meeting at Bubbas Texan or a friend of Texas? You can meet up with fellow lovers of the Lone Star State during their monthly T.I.E. meeting at Bubbas tonight from 7pm. Call Ken to let him know you're coming. 7pm......

Seven minutes: A woman was killed after she jumped in front of a subway train yesterday, the second suicide in the city's underground network in less than three weeks. The incident occurred at 12:44pm at the Lujiazui Station on Metro Line 2 in Pudong. A man was killed in a similar incident on January 10. The Metro service was suspended for seven minutes yesterday. Two in three weeks seems like a lot, but we don't......

Yes, that Cui Jian. The godfather of Chinese rock. The one some call "China's Bruce Springsteen." The guy they put on the cover of the first Chinese Rolling Stone. The guy who last year shared a Shanghai stage and accompanied (kind of) Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. Yes, that guy is playing an intimate gig Monday night at JZ Club, and we wouldn't have known about it had we not walked past the place......

We swear we heard the PA system announce yesterday that we were at Jinjiang Park metro stop, when we knew we were at Huangpi Nan Lu (and so did everyone else — lots of confused faces). We assumed the metro just got its sound files mixed up ... but could it have been someone's mobile phone ringtone? Micah tipped us off to a RAR file online that contains high-quality mp3 files of 19 "We are......

Shanghai's recent cafe boom has left Shanghaiist out in the cold — we don't drink coffee, and only a little tea. Our frigid weather beverage of choice is (start laughing now) hot chocolate, and our savior arrived in Shanghai a few weeks ago: Whisk Choco Cafe. We first learned of Whisk from a commenter (who mentioned paninis, not hot chocolate) and figured we'd try it out since it is just a short walk from our......

Because the boss tells them to. Or at least that is the answer we have received ... on many occasions. We like Charmant, the Taiwanese restaurant on Huaihai Lu near Fuxing Lu. We have written about how much we like it. And now that we live pretty much next door, we go there quite often. But we have always wondered why the female manager and every single one of the waitresses has a short, boyish......

We're sure there are other members only bars in Shanghai, but they would actually require memberships for you to enter. Not Southern Cross, at 1276 Huaihai Zhong Lu, not too far from Huating Lu and across the street from the No. 2 entrance for the Changshu Lu metro stop. The sign outside says "Member's Bar" and the door is locked. But all you need to do is knock on the door and pay 50 kuai......

We've heard a lot of buzz about Arch opening up a new place on Changshu Lu near Changle Lu. And we had friends who were looking forward to smoke-free Mondays and Wednesdays within walking distance from home. Too good to be true? Seems to be the case based on this email sent out to the aFuturePerfect mailing list by Arch owner Frank Steffen: Dear and most valued customers, As some of you might have already......

Shanghai finishes the summer in style this weekend with a 40-strong DJ performance at Dino Beach under the guise of the Splash! music festival, kicking off at 3 pm this Saturday. The city might have been graced with international names such as Richie Hawtin and Goldie in the past couple of weeks, but it’s the Shanghai-based crew who are putting on the show and proving that big names are not necessary to have a great......

If the only railway station waiting room you’re accustomed to in China is the grimy, smoky one with endless waves of humanity sitting on those red, white and blue striped bags of live produce, then you’re going to enjoy the South Shanghai Railway Station for a change. We were fortunate enough to pass through the gleaming, spotless and modern facility last night on our way back from Hangzhou (RMB 44 for soft seat; 1 hour......

Since Shanghaiist has been accused of ruining things like the old Tang Hui, we thought we'd share with you the fruits of our actions -- the new, improved (?), definitely not at all dingy, gritty, divey, '50s-Motown-music-during-the-intermissions place on Xingfu Lu you that once knew and loved. Here's the rundown: Tang Hui has not only expanded and moved to a four-story villa on the corner of Huating Lu and Huaihai Lu (85 Huating Lu, just......

Shanghaiist took a ride on the city’s brand new metro Line 4 the other day. Whilst it isn’t the major expansion to the current metro network we are all waiting for (especially seeing the entire line is yet to open), it might make getting across the city a little bit easier, depending on where you live. The line offers a new crossing between Puxi and Pudong, under the Huangpu River, between the Yangpu Bridge and......

Chinese cities are notorious for their pace of change. In particular, restaurants and bars tend to open and close with stunning speed. The editors of Lonely Planet must have a nightmare on their hands trying to keep track of it all. In fact, Shanghaiist’s edition of LP -- which we think has only just been superseded -- includes entries for Rollo di Pollo (a pizza restaurant at the back of M on the Bund) and......

If Shanghaiist posted news of every tall building under construction in the city, this would be the world’s most boring website. Perhaps more boring than this one. Or this one. Or even this one. (Because of its exciting MIDI file, this one didn’t make our list). But occasionally a new development catches our eye, like "The Peak" did when we walked past it yesterday. Although it’s currently just a hole in the ground next to......

Xinhua news reports that as of August 5, Kentucky Fried Chicken is introducing traditional Chinese breakfasts into its menu. The report states that Chinese people have traditionally viewed breakfast as an important meal, but with the growth and change of the city, finding a decent bowl of zhou (粥), the watery rice that has long been a staple of the Chinese diet, is becoming increasingly difficult. In order to remedy this deplorable state of affairs,......