This week on Shanghaiist Sunday Show, we turn on our eye to the refugee issue and bring you not just one but two documentaries. The first documentary is a show on Al Jazeera's 101 East which features Tibetan refugees trying to get out of China and the second one is a show on North Korean refugees trying to come into China. more ›

"At this moment, we have deep concern for people in the world who are suffering from war, poverty, illness and natural calamities... Chinese people are deeply sympathetic to them and willing to do our best to help them get out of their plights as early as possible." more ›

This week's Adoptable Pet from Second Chance Animal Aid, Shanghaiist's adopted animal charity. From the SCAA: more ›

... in Shanghai, North Korea, that is. Are you willing to make the big move, just to get out of the heat? This wasn't a mistake by AccuWeather.com though. There is a Shanghai in Hwanghae-Bukto in North Korea. In fact, there is a grand total of eight Shanghai's in the world, six of which are in the US. Apparently, you can also find Shanghai's in Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Does anyone know if we missed any other Shanghai out? more ›

Our round-up of some of last week's highlights from China's English-language blogosphere: more ›

Our round-up of some of last week's highlights from China's English-language blogosphere: more ›

We were taking an afternoon stroll down Xiangyang Lu today in our pajamas when we had our first ever encounter with Shanghai's high-tech parking meters. The meters aren't exactly new; according to the Shanghai Municipality website the first were installed in 2005. There were 141 meters at the beginning of the year installed across 22 road sections, but that number is now up to 555. more ›

Attendance falling at your local place of worship? Loyal herd looking elsewhere for spiritual direction? Have a carnival! That'll win 'em back. If only the Pope had thought of it ... like the Shanghai Xuhui District Tourist Bureau did. It's annual Longhua Temple Festival runs until May 7th, meaning you have one weekend left to catch all the fun. more ›

We never thought we would ever see The Slits appear on a poster promoting a Shanghai event, but that day has arrived thanks to 88 New Wave who have been quietly putting on offbeat punk parties at Cs Bar. We like their eclectic and open take on punk, enjoying everything from Gang of Four to Salt 'n Pepa. more ›

Enduring eight straight days of work ahead of the Golden week? Take this opportunity to let off some steam and get out and hit what Shanghaiist thinks that Shanghai has to offer before you either vamoose out of town or bunker down to avoid the May 1st Holiday crush. more ›

Chinese news portal CHINA.ORG.CN reported today that the controversial construction of a giant dragon inside Shizhu Mountain National Forest Park was halted by local government. more ›

The match signifies the dawn of a new era in Asian football, as the A-League side enter the Asian fray for the first time since Australia quit the Oceania confederation a year ago to join the Asian one. more ›

Shanghaiist woke up at 6 this morning to a terrible noise outside our building. Two buses (#205 and #45) had collided at the intersection and plowed into the building directly across the street from us. The Taiyuan and Jianguo intersection is very busy, with traffic going south towards the Xujiahui area and a wet market right on the corner. One of the buses must have ran a red light, resulting in the freak accident. Of course, a crowd quickly gathered around the front of the buses and the boyfriend guessed that there was someone (or some people) pinned by the buses, although we didn't want to believe it. The cops, then firemen, and then finally rescue workers arrived on the scene and it was a full half hour before tape was wrapped around the buses to prevent rubberneckers from disrupting the accident further. Only a few people were taken to the hospital (what looked to be one of the drivers and an elderly woman, who wasn't badly hurt). more ›

Unfortunately, Shanghaiist didn't make it to the actual track meet, the main attraction of which was the 110m men's hurdles, where Liu Xiang narrowly beat out American Allen Johnson, clocking in at 13.07 to Johnson's 13.09. You can read about some of the other results here. We heard from someone who attended that the musical performers, which included Karen Mok, Lee Hom Wang, and Macy Gray, were lackluster. We didn't make it to the dinner afterwards either, but thanks to Aimee at Blue Frog we made it to the last stop of the night -- the post party, held at the Life Hub, a shopping/entertainment complex up on Gonghe Xin Lu, near Daning Lu in Zhabei District (yes, Zhabei District). Blue Frog catered the event (and is opening a new store in the area) where Liu Xiang was presented with an award and where the other athletes got a chance to drink, dance, and let off some steam. You can check out some of our pictures from the night above. more ›

A couple scoops on the local dining scene from SH mag's Jarrett Wrisley, one scoop that looks more promising than the other. more ›

Despite our admiration for the career of this fellow Aussie (who has won a swag of majors), Shanghaiist couldn’t help feeling a bit better about our own very ordinary golf game upon hearing the news of her bunker blues. After all, we might be bad at golf, but we’re not that bad. more ›

Shanghaiist, admittedly, doesn't venture into online forums too often. But we do realize they can be a valuable resource ... if used properly. Shanghaiist readers possess a wealth of knowledge and insights about this wonderful city we call home, and you deserve a platform on which you can impart that wisdom to the rest of the world. So, today we are proud to present to you the Shanghaiist Forum, where your voice can be heard. The Forum offers a different outlet than just commenting on posts -- in the Forum, you dictate the topics and where the conversations lead. It should be a nice complement to the rest of site. more ›

Chinese holidays -- or "golden weeks" -- have always confused Shanghaiist. The "official" days always seem to be announced at the last minute (like less than two weeks before the actual holiday) even though based on past holidays you can pretty much guesstimate when the golden week will be. Adopting a "when in China" stance, many foreign companies in China wait until the last minute to tell employees what days they will actually have off. The end result is a mad rush of about a billion people to get out of town. Thank God for ticket agents. more ›

Shanghaiist found itself out at the Qi Zhong Tennis Stadium yesterday, clutching a media pass for the final day of competition in the FINA 8th World Short Course Swimming Championships. Outside, the rain pelted down in sheets and the parking lots were awash with water. This seemed rather apt, considering that the organizers had taken the ATP Masters tennis court and turned it into a 25-metre pool. If only they'd turned the forlorn "Media Snacks Centre" into a Burger King. more ›

CJ Chicago on Beijing Lu more ›

Oh sure, Shanghaiist goes to the red light "hairdressers" for a nice long wank just as much as the next guy (as long as the next guy has never been once), but we also like experiencing what you "norms" have at the massage parlours of Shanghai -- a massage. We have a new favourite place. At the north east corner of Changle Lu and Shaanxi Lu, behind several medium sized trees is a set of two buildings inside which unlimited massuers will pour out of holes in the walls to beautify you in any way you see fit (Map from SmartShanghai). more ›

Go here to read a gruesome, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking first-hand account of Shanghai-based Guardian reporter Benjamin Joffe-Walt's attempt to report from Taishi, a village in Guangdong, site of what Joffe-Walt calls "perhaps the most significant grassroots social movement China has seen since the Cultural Revolution, a rural revolt against corruption, against deterioration of healthcare, against the illegal sale of farmland, and broadly against urban capitalism that has reaped no benefits for these farmers." (For more on Taishi, visit ESWN.) Joffe-Walt never actually got to Taishi. He was on his way there with democracy activist Lu Banglie, when their car was stopped and Lu was brutally beaten, perhaps to death: more ›

Quick -- How many Papa John's locations are there in Shanghai? If you said 15, either it was a lucky guess, you eat too much pizza or you get out a lot more than Shanghaiist. Papa John's opened its 15th Shanghai store earlier this week. It's a dine-in restaurant -- unusual for the delivery chain -- at 999 Changning Lu, near Zhongshan Park. more ›

Christy Lin, adventurer more ›