Yes, people are crazy and times are strange. Two days ago, a fashionably dressed young woman ate a RMB280 lunch at a Japanese restaurant somewhere near Nanjing Xi Lu and Chengdu Bei Lu. When it was time to get the bill, she told the wait staff that she had no money on her and needed to withdraw some cash. A restaurant employee followed her to a nearby China Construction Bank (CCB) ATM, whereupon the woman locked herself inside and forbade anyone to come near her, saying she had a knife and would kill herself if anyone tried to force their way in. CCB staff tried persuading her to come out but met with no success. Eventually the police were called in and the woman was finally brought out after three hours of self-imposed captivity. The woman is now being subjected to psychological tests to see if she is mentally sound. more ›

Someone told us recently that there was a new Mexican burrito place called Cal Kitchen that opened up not that long ago on Dagu Lu, and being long-time residents of California, we decided to see if it lived up to its billing as place for authentic Californian/Mexican food. Long story short, it doesn't. We ordered a big chicken burrito that in better days, might have been a contender—but as it was, it was a soggy... more ›

Mediterranean Sandwich and Coffee Bar on Da Gu Lu more ›

That's refreshing news. Not that Shanghaiist has anything in particular against Xintiandi. It's OK, in an Epcot Center sort of way. Maybe in 10 years or so, once the novelty wears off and the prices come down a bit, it will be a decent place to sit outside and have a beer. But we don't understand why we see so many red-hatted tour groups barrelling their way through the place, snapping photos. We don't understand why so many visitors are led to believe that there's anything old about the place at all. Xintiandi is not a neighborhood of restored old buildings. Old buildings were razed and residents were displaced to make way for Xintiandi. The same thing is happening now in the blocks that surround the Xintiandi area. The real estate is just too valuable. (And if the old neighborhoods must get chewed up and the old residents spit out, Shanghaiist would choose something that looks like Xintiandi as the lesser evil to get built in their place.) more ›

Rainy season in Shanghai and sweltering heat takes many of us into the air conditioned confines of our apartments for recreation. Sick of DVDs? Why not venture into the newest home video games? (Shanghaiist sure has.) Now that we are all officially "victims of piracy," just blame the whole mess on those wascally Westerners, and gaming can be cheaper then ever. more ›