Ok, whatever people might say about the Bund – tacky, over-priced – most are still damn glad it's there rather than not. It is, after all, the most enduring reminder of Shanghai's decadent international past. Consequently, when the paradigm of this past, the Peace Hotel, recently closed for its US$65m makeover, a few questions were raised about the area's future. more ›

Shanghaiist isn't a Christian by a long shot, but lately we've been a bit nostalgic for the whole Christmas spirit thing, so we decided today to venture to the Community Church on Hengshan Lu (located right across from Narcissus and One Thousand and One Nights, which are perhaps landmarks for you decidedly un-Christian types) to see what was going on. In the afternoon we managed to walk into the middle of a play about some guy named Martin (played by a woman) who owned a shoe shop and was expecting Jesus to drop by. He had prepared some food and the other blandishments the Son of God might expect, but kept getting interrupted by various unexpected events involving people who needed his help and compassion. None of the dialogue in this place was uttered by the actors -- a recording was played on the PA system and the actors simply mouthed the lines, though you could barely see their lips moving, so it looked a bit like a pantomime, especially since Martin, played by a woman, had a Charlie Chaplin/Great Dictator type moustache pinned beneath her nose. Finally, when Jesus did arrive, He was just a voice from above, and told Martin, who began apologizing profusely for not serving Him well, that by serving all those people who needed his help and compassion, that Martin was in fact serving Jesus. more ›