Christmas is just around the corner! For all of you who couldn't make it home for the holidays, as always Shanghai will keep you swimming in sumptuous Christmas meals. Below we've selected a few options that caught our eye, from the non-traditional to the best bang for your buck. Make sure you call for reservations, as many places tend to fill up. Take a look, and take your pick! more ›

Okay, we’re such terrible poets that even Hallmark holiday cards won’t be including our works anytime soon. Bad rhyming aside, we do empathize: you’re still in Shanghai while most people you know have joined the mass expat exodus and taken off for far-flung lands. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to miss out on the holiday spirit. To help our readers get a fill of red and green cheer this year, we’ve highlighted some of the coolest Christmas parties happening around town. Go to one, or make appearances at all - there’s no excuse to be alone in Shanghai for the next few nights. more ›

By Mike Chen more ›

What's happening around the nation as one year closes and another begins more ›

Happy Holidays! more ›

Jon Campbell, a super nice bearded guy who we met at the Abigail Washburn/Bela Fleck gig in November, writes a column called "Foreign Devil" for the American music website PopMatters. A couple of weeks ago, he posted a story about Top Floor Circus (顶楼马戏团), a folk-cum-punk band from Shanghai. "The band was from Shanghai, for goodness' sake," Campbell writes, "and everyone in Beijing knows that good rock bands come from anywhere but Shanghai." Yes, Campbell is based in Beijing, where this gig took place. more ›

If you have a real job, you'll likely be working. But if you're like Shanghaiist -- and you're also American -- you may be watching some good, old fashioned ganlanqiu ... American football ... the National Football League conference championships ... the two games that determine the contestants in Super Bowl XL (40, not "extra large"). The Pittsburgh Steelers play at the Denver Broncos in the American Football Conference championship at 4 a.m. And with a somewhat more bearable 7:30 a.m. kickoff, the National Football Conference championship pits the Carolina Panthers on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. more ›

You can almost hear the buzz surrounding the upcoming opening of the new Cotton's bar/restaurant in Shanghai all the way where Shanghaiist currently is holed up for the holidays. Wait ... no ... that's just the 3 a.m. train rolling by. (Damn jetlag.) But anyway, sources who happen to still be in Shanghai tell us that lots of people who enjoy a good drink and a good chat are talking about the impending return of one of the friendlier faces to grace the Shanghai scene. Contrary to popular belief, however, New Year's Eve is not the first chance you'll have to check out Cotton's new digs. Local party planners Matt & Flo are throwing a Christmas Eve bash there on -- you guessed it -- Christmas Eve (Saturday). Here are the details, ripped from the party email: more ›

China has embraced Christmas. Shanghaiist knows this because last year on Christmas Eve we left a beer and a plate of snacks out for Santa (or his Chinese equivalent, Dun Che Lao Ren), and in the morning they were gone. Unless that was our roommate stumbling in from the Dragon Club at 6 am. more ›