Did you know that you could actually still buy fireworks in the city? Despite the Spring Festival being over for about a month now, fireworks and firecrackers can still be found at downtown-area stores... but not for long! Shanghai has ordered that they be pulled off shelves by the end of this month as part of the efforts to ensure a safe Expo. In April, you'll have to go outside the Middle Ring Road if you want to engage your inner arsonist... so, maybe you ought to set off a few for good fun now, while you still apparently can? more ›

Did you think that your ability to choke down chicken feet, speak Chinese with your business partners, or play a game of Chinese checkers makes you more Chinese? Well, Hong Huang, the irreverent proprietor of the media empire that owns iLook magazine, wants to let you know that you're wrong: you'll never assimilate, because you're not Chinese. And while you're at it (not being Chinese, that is), don't touch chicken feet, sea cucumbers, or firecrackers: it pisses Chinese people off when you do, because you just don't understand why they're important in the first place. more ›

[Monday, 10pm] People are currently aTwitter with news that that Beijing's CCTV headquarters has gone up in flames, and from the following pictures snapped and uploaded by various eyewitnesses (including some amazing on-the-scene photos by real estate tycoon and CEO of Soho China Pan Shiyi), the fire looks pretty damn bad and appears to have engulfed the part of the complex that houses the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Beijing. Given that today is Yuanxiao Jie (元宵节) which marks the culmination of the Lunar New Year festivities, it is not unlikely that stray fireworks were the cause of this disaster. Follow what the China Twitterati is saying at #cctvfire. Videoclips after the jump. more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›

No injuries or deaths were reported¹, surprisingly, but then again we left before it was all over (got tired of getting hit by shrapnel). The video starts sometime before midnight and ends sometime after. And yes, our ears are still ringing. more ›