Our favorite roadshow philanthropist is at it again! Billionaire and rogue disaster relief respondent Chen Guangbiao (陈光标) made headlines again this week when he mercilessly bashed a perfectly good Mercedes-Benz to smithereens with a giant robotic arm, all in the name of the environment! more ›

Now that China has become the world's largest car market, Chinese government officials pursuing quality instead of quantity to make the next great leap forward. more ›

In his latest blogpost, Jonathan Watts, The Guardian's Asia environment correspondent, shares with us three startling figures:

First, the number of cars on the planet has just passed the billion mark. Second, almost half of the new growth is in China. Third, Toyota managed to sell only one Prius in China last year. That's right. The world's most commercially successful hybrid car has found only one buyer in the fastest growing market. SUV sales, by contrast, are surging.

Last Saturday, April 16, the Eco Design Fair showed up at its new digs in the Waterhouse at Cool Docks on the South Bund. Since 2008, the fair has showcased eco-conscious designers and products. The participating stalls ranged from bakers to bikes, computers to clothes and featured everything in between. Throughout the day there were multiple events including live music performances, a farmers market as well as eco fashion shows and even a "green wedding" feature. more ›

Now here's a documentary that we hope will make its way to a DVD store near us soon. The Warriors of Qiugang is 39 minute film that received an Oscar nomination for documentary short. The synopsis from the official website: more ›

If you're like some of us here at Shanghaiist, you might find yourself joking that global warming should accelerate rather than cease - didn't you feel that frigid air on your skin this morning this twenty second day of April? In any case, everyone knows that global warming can actually cause temperatures to become cooler in the short term and because today happens to be Earth Day, we thought we'd call attention to China's efforts to preserve our one-and-only home. more ›

Perhaps I just haven't been keeping up with wind power news, but I was surprised to discover this morning that China has just installed its first offshore wind farm and - guess what - it's off the shore of Shanghai. Called Shanghai Donghai Bridge, it's a 102-megawatt system and it's planning to come online this month, right before Expo. more ›

• Apparently, China's "brownest" city is four times greener than America's greenest. Fabulous! The good news? This is in spite of the huge amount of energy required to heat Chinese homes in winter - and the minimal energy used for that purpose in temperate California. The bad news? China's "green" standing is only temporary. [The New York Times Blog]
• This just in: the Western media is only as free as the powers that be allow. Stop the presses! Say what you want about CCTV, but at least our government owns up to its censorship, proudly flying its black flag. [China Daily]

In the latest and potentially greatest attempt by the government to spruce up our lovely Shanghai before the expo, the government has started a "most beautiful balcony competition." And the best part? The winner gets 3,000 yuan! more ›

As a testament to the increasingly daring nature of Chinese citizens, people have come out in mass to voice their vehement dislike of a recent government policy. Considering China's harsh treatment of large scale public protests and the potential ramifications participating could have on individuals, we figure only the most egregious of political moves could bring together so many people in harmonious dissent. So what happened? more ›

In more environmental news, the government has decided to subsidize 294 solar power plants which will generate 642 megawatts of power. The subsidies are part of China's "golden sun" plan, a project meant to find alternative energy sources. As Obama made carbon emissions a key point in his town hall meeting with students earlier today, it looks as if Hu Jintao will have some bragging points. more ›

A blogger out of Fujian has compiled an open-source google map that places major pollution sites around china. While similar sources have existed in the past, this is the first one that allows other users to contribute sites with pollution problems. The map, which was created by Guo Baofeng, has attracted a lot of interest on Chinese BBS' and Forums: check it out while you still can, because you never know when it could suddenly disappear. more ›

As we stepped off bustling Jiaozhou Lu and through the large and heavy wooden gates of URBN, we felt as if we had left Shanghai. The hustle and bustle of Shanghai seemed to have disappeared and already we could feel ourselves loosening up, relaxing. Just through the threshold was a small cobble-stoned, tree-lined courtyard... and to our direct left, decorated with an artful take on bamboo scaffolding, the hotel. more ›

In a country that was once known as the Kingdom of Bicycles, it's become harder and harder to actually ride one in the increasingly congested traffic. Good news: Shanghai has decided to build a number of new bike paths between major transportation roads and metro stations. In addition, the new bike paths will include an increase in low-cost bicycle rental services, similar to the services offered in Hangzhou. Good for the environment, and way more enjoyable than trying to find a cab during rush hour. more ›

So former British PM Tony Blair and Chinese kung fu superstar Jet Li have teamed up to form a dynamic duo of putting solar panel lights in villages around China (and one day, the world!). more ›

Climate Change: China in Action, produced by the China Meteorological Administration and featured on the always excellent China Green is a short film that documents efforts by the Chinese government, as well as NGOs, scientists and corporations to address climate change: more ›

The Shanghai 2010 Expo is looking for volunteers of all shapes, sizes, and nationalities, and if you're a soon-to-be college graduate, you're probably still looking for a job. more ›

Minhang commuters and residents have been enjoying free bike rides for the last two weeks. No its not a rash of bike stealers - in fact, it's actually a new government sponsored program partially intended to curb theft. more ›

Here are few handy websites to help you navigate the world of Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia… more ›

In honor of Science and Environment Day today (Saturday), Sagevision and the Ruijin Community Cultural Center, are erecting a ‘Community Trash Art Mural’ in Fuxing Park. They aim to “create public awareness and interest regarding the impact of trash on the environment in China and the world.” more ›

China Digital Times: Deal With Global Warming: Try Not to Divorce - China Youth Daily more ›

Yet another weekend has arrived, and seems a lot of people have been talking about the opening of the Shelter. They are holding a 'soft opening' tonight and hosting Dex, from the Underground Resistance, tomorrow. For those of you who are in the mood for more of a visual than some dude spinning on the decks (or laptop), there are plenty of live shows to choose from. Just down the street from the Shelter are... more ›

Heres' a public service announcement to (illegal) satellite TV users from Shanghaiist: Don't put stuff on top of your satellite receiver box. We had gotten in the habit of placing the occasional DVD or DVD sleeve on top of our satellite box, which is covered by a bunch of small vents. Not long ago, while working at our computer (surprise, surprise) at around 1 am, we heard a popping noise coming from near the TV... more ›

According to recent rumors we've heard, tickets are on sale this week for the biggest show of the year (in our humble opinion), The Beyoncé Experience! Beyoncé (aka Beyoncé Knowles), the 27-year old singer, model, and actress, is currently one of the biggest superstars in America. She began her career with the ginormously successful all-girl group Destiny's Child and has been just as prosperous as a solo artist. She brings her world tour called The... more ›

OK, we all know about the Great Wall, the Great Firewall and the Great Green Wall. All that is old news now. Get this: China is now building a 6 million yuan, 40-kilometer (25-mile) long, 1 meter (3.3 feet) high wall around Dongting Lake in Hunan Province to guard against the 2 billion field mice that have been on the run from the flooded Yangtse River. Already, the mice have destroyed about 520,000 hectares (1.3 million acres) of crop land when rising water drove them from their burrows. And even the enterprising businessmen in Guangdong who sought to help by bringing the mice en masse to the dinner table did little to mitigate the situation. more ›

Shanghaiist is in a panic. Our Enjoy card expires on Saturday and we have a million (OK, not really, but it seems like it) coupons left in our book and they are all useless by tomorrow midnight. After swapping vouchers like baseball cards with other coupon clippers, the plan for today is to maximize our discounts to the fullest extent for 12 hours or more… more ›

There's a few things in this life that start with the letter M that Shanghaiist doesn't like. Malingerers, marmite, and men with no moustache but full beards (OK, the last one is a bit of a stretch M-wise). Some would say that these are irrational and ill-conceived categorisations, but there is another one on the list that isn't — and that is mosquitoes. And it looks like Shanghaiist isn't going to enjoy our coming summer evenings. more ›

How big will the Shanghai premiere of Casino Royale be tomorrow night at Shanghai Film Art Center? Well, the stars of the movie will actually be there. And that doesn't happen too often — last month, Edward Norton flew to Beijing for a Painted Veil press conference, but didn't make the trip for the premiere in Shanghai the following day. more ›