The time isn't ripe for Shanghai's financial hub to allow foreign companies into its equity market, according to Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng. The statement marks a delay of two months in China's aspirations to become a global financial powerhouse by 2020. more ›

Chinese New Year has come and gone and despite all the fireworks going off dangerously close to buildings all over the city, the only actual fire (at least, reported fire) was one completely unrelated to celebrations - a recycling center was set aflame on Sunday, killing six people and injuring eight. Investigations found that it did not have a license to store flammable chemical substances, and the fire was triggered by an explosion of chemical containers during the waste treatment process. The city is now checking potential safety problems at businesses, with Mayor Han Zheng stating that for each severe accident, there could be 300 mild accidents, 300 accidents that failed to happen and 1,000 potential safety problems. Officials are aiming to have all businesses across Shanghai safe by March 1. Hmmm. Good luck with that. more ›

Despite hopes of many to turn the area around the soon-to-be-begun Shanghai Disneyland into a resort-like area for China's burgeoning population of rich people, it seems like the Shanghai government's got another idea: budget housing. Mayor Han Zheng said yesterday that he's trying to negotiate for the allocation of some land around the site for lower-income housing. The Shanghai Daily article on the matter notes that there were some objections, but surprisingly (not) doesn't list them. We think we can guess what they were: Ummm... why put in budget apartments when you could have... a golf course? more ›

Hey VIPs! Just because you’re VIPs doesn’t mean you get to drive all willy nilly on the road, despite there actually being regulations that allow you to do so. Shanghai mayor Han Zheng has warned government officials and emergency vehicles to stop abusing the privilege, scolding that “vehicles for the government departments should set a good example.” In three weeks in October, there were 57 cases of privileged vehicles breaking traffic regulations. Stop it, Han Zheng has requested, adding that police will be checking for these kind of violations more stringently. more ›

With the recent news about Beijing giving Disneyland Shanghai the go ahead, it looks like it's only a matter of time before the mouse lands in town. After a recent meeting of the City's International Business Leaders Advisory Council, Mayor Han Zheng declared that a decision could be announced as early as next week. But between the lines, we all know that's code for unequivocal approval, right? After all, it's not like the Shanghai government would announce a greenlight on Disneyland and then snatch it away last minute. Oh wait. more ›

"Financiers have the least conscience in the world when it comes to making money... By saying that, I would have offended many bankers and financiers, but this is my personal experience."  

Photo from Shanghai Daily. more ›

Shanghai mayor, Han Zheng (韩正) looks set to keep his job despite earlier suggestions that he would only be a seat-warmer after his predecessor Chen Liangyu (陈良宇) was exposed in a massive pension scandal and was sacked from his job. Apparently, rumours have been rife in Hong Kong media that Han would be replaced soon. Reuters (via the Straits Times) tells us more:

Beijing believes that Han is 'a good comrade' and 'can continue to do a good job in Shanghai', one of the sources paraphrased new Shanghai Party chief Yu Zhengsheng as telling a recent meeting of senior city officials. more ›

The suspense is finally over. Shanghai woke up to a new leader today. On Saturday, Beijing appointed Comrade Xi Jinping as the city’s new General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, replacing Mayor Han Zheng, who temporarily held that post when former Secretary Chen Liangyu was investigated last fall for misappropriating public funds. City residents cheered the decision: more ›

From AsiaNews' report we discovered that all the fun stuff happens in Shanghai while we are on vacation:

Shanghai (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Shanghai residents have seized the opportunity to take to the streets to protest against corruption after the sacking of some of the city's top Communist Party bosses. Chen Liangyu, Shanghai’s party secretary, and other officials have lost their job on charges of corruption and this has inspired city residents to air unresolved grievances more ›

Photo of Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng from Shanghai Daily. more ›

Our buddies at SFist have informed us that San Francisco and Shanghai are "sister cities," and to celebrate this fact, SF mayor Gavin Newsom has graced our fair city with his presence. We wonder if he realizes that almost every city in the world is sisters with Shanghai: Dunedin, Dubai, Cork, Hamburg, Chicago, Liverpool, Windhoek ... and that's just from the first page of Google results. What ever happened to the one-child policy? more ›