Photo from erussel1984Via email from Shanghaiist reader Ned: I just wanted to let you know there was a fire at approximately 3.45pm in the Shanghai Centre. I am not sure what floor it started on but was in the Portman Hotel. I work in the office tower and we had no warning until we saw smoke outside the windows. I got to the lobby with my camera but the staff made me delete the photos......

Set back from the junction of XinLe Lu and XiangYang Lu, opposite a blue-domed Russian Orthodox Church stands the Mansion Hotel. A limestone building in manicured grounds, this place gives off the same whiff of 1920’s luxury that you see in the grand old financial institutions of the Bund; if you like Hamilton House you’ll love this place. On the fifth and highest floor, the Mansion Veranda restaurant is one of the nicest terraces in......

At the Sheraton Hotel there's a new hero in town: Spiderman is washing the windows. The idea came up in a brainstorming session with housekeeping staff, possibly taking inspiration from the human Spiderman who climbed the Jinmao last year. So far Spidey is receiving a thumbs up from the boys in the suits and guests alike, so if you live in Hongqiao, it looks like your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman is here to stay! UPDATE 28/4/2008-......

GUINNESS PRICE GOUGING UPDATE: In our last post, we accused Big Bamboo (132 Nanyang Rd) of having the most expensive draft Guinness in town at RMB70 (their new price, as of a few weeks ago). Apparently that is incorrect. Since then, a Shamrock snout has reported to us that actually the priciest Guinness in Shanghai is somewhere in Xintiandi where they charged RMB88 a pint! Holy Hippopotami! We'd be interested to find out which establishment......

By James Creegan As part of the ongoing upgrade of Pudong airport, there is now a new branch of Motel 168 open in the transportation centre, right next to the entrance of the Maglev station. Double or Twin rooms are available, both at 348RMB per night. A little more than the chain usually charges for couples rutting like beasts between filthy sheets, but not too shabby for a hotel bed within walking distance from an......

You heard that right, ladies and gentlemen... Our city's foresighted urban planners, God bless their hearts, have looked into their glassball and decided that Shanghai needs another Lujiazui — and really, soon — in three years to be exact. Well if they were able to build Lujiazui I in ten years, we have every confidence they can build Lujiazui II in three. Never ever ever doubt the ambitions of Shanghai city planners. Just build first,......

Workers clearing China landslide discover bus in the rubble; 29 believed dead [The Canadian Press] The bus was found three days after a landslide tore a 50-metre gash in a mountainside Tuesday heightening concern that the massive reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam, was wreaking ecological havoc in the region.US studios sue Chinese website for film piracy [AFP] 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios have filed a lawsuit against......

Bottom line is China's new party line [AP] Christopher Bodeen of AP looks at Li Keqiang's chances of becoming the heir to President Hu Jintao.China's Communists to Elect New Leadership at 17th Congress [Bloomberg] China's Communist Party delegates will gather at their 17th Party Congress this week to amend a party charter, discuss political reforms and elect a new leadership. China plans vast national park in north west [AFP] China plans to establish its......

The latest issue of TIME Magazine has an interesting story of a US-based company that has just set up shop in where else but Inner Mongolia, to feed the millions of hungry Chinese who are now looking to eat something other than pork: Earlier this year, Western Cattle started to raise Holsteins on an American-style ranch and feedlot built in the wide open spaces of Inner Mongolia. Their goal: deliver truckloads of well-marbled beef to......

Shanghaiist loves our dear readers because you never hesitate to let us know when you disagree when it comes to a restaurant recommendation. Well, now's your chance to put a little of your own skin in the game. Famed restaurant guide Zagat is currently collecting survey responses regarding restaurants in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Users who submit the survey by the September 23rd deadline will receive a free copy of the resulting 2008 China's......

Okay okay, we've all had a bit of a Macau overdose lately, but we just couldn't resist sharing with you this tid-bit of information that we found on the blog of Telegraph journalist Richard Spencer. He shares a rumour that "the Louis Vuitton store in Macau is, per square foot, the company's most profitable anywhere in the world. And that the big seller is man-bags. The men buy them to put their cash in before......

Shanghaiist really needed a break and what better place to take that break than... the Venetian? I know what you're thinking: biggest casino in the world + gambling Chinese tourists = a big fat headache. Well, it wasn't that bad, really. The Venetian was fully booked over the weekend so we could only get one night at the Vegas transplant... which was quite enough for us. The casino is an exact replica of its Vegas......

Oldest profession flourishes in China [Washington Post] No longer limited to well-known bars or a growing number of karaoke parlors, prostitutes are everywhere in China today, branching out onto college campuses, moving into private residential compounds and approaching customers on mobile phone networks. Mattel recalls 9 million toys made in China [NPR] Mattel issues a recall affecting more than 9 million toys made in China, citing magnets that could be swallowed and possible problems with......

China Herald introduced us to ChinaOnTV, a website that shows English-language programming online. From their website: ChinaOnTV.com is a U.S. based online video network, with all content presented in English. The mission of ChinaOnTV is to continually increase the public’s awareness of China’s history as well as contemporary Chinese life and achievements, in order to foster international trade, business ventures, cultural understanding, travel, peace and good will between the peoples of all nations. Our attention......

In a story that reminded us of the Andrew Speaker incident, two Taiwanese tuberculosis patients have defied a travel ban and flown to Nanjing from Kaohsiung (via Hong Kong). They have since been "located" by Chinese officials (we wonder how they did that!) and "are now receiving treatment". A maximum fine of 300,000 New Taiwan dollars (US$10,000) awaits the Taiwanese jetsetters. A 49 year old Shenzhen man has contracted the pig-borne disease Streptococcus suis......

Among the many things one can do to make China "lose face" in the international eye: 1. Distribute toxic playthings to small children the world around 2. Kidnap and enslave hundreds of your countrymen and their children and force them to work in subhuman conditions 3. Crop the edges off a map All three offensives have been committed in the last year, and all three were met with swift punishment. Granted, the map offenders have......

Ok, whatever people might say about the Bund – tacky, over-priced – most are still damn glad it's there rather than not. It is, after all, the most enduring reminder of Shanghai's decadent international past. Consequently, when the paradigm of this past, the Peace Hotel, recently closed for its US$65m makeover, a few questions were raised about the area's future. For those who don't already know, the Peace Hotel was the property baby of British......

We’re sure everyone has forgotten due to a lack of media coverage, however, Shanghai will be hosting the 2010 World Expo. In order to prepare for Shanghai’s debut on the world stage, several construction projects are underway. After all, Shanghai has to upstage former World Expo hosts, such as Knoxville in the US, Hanover in Germany, Aichi Prefecture in Japan, and the main rival, the 2008 host Zaragoza, Spain. The newest construction project, announced......

Killer bashes, knifes victim. Local prosecutors yesterday charged a 71-year-old man with killing a 76-year-old woman by bashing her with a spade, trying to suffocate her with a quilt, and then attempting to strangle her. Finally he knifed her in the face and neck, prosecutors allege. Messy, messy!U.S. avoids labeling China 'manipulator'. China is not intentionally manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage but its massive buildup of foreign reserves raises risks......

Hollywood actress Sharon Stone arrived in Shanghai late Tuesday night at Pudong International Airport. After passing immigration casually dressed in white slacks and a dark long-sleeved top, she was quickly driven downtown in a Mercedes Sedan to the JW Marriott Hotel. The Basic Instinct actress’s arrival in Shanghai comes four days ahead of this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival where she will be a member of the international panel of judges, headed by acclaimed Chinese......

On Friday night, we set out to rub shoulders with Shanghai's glitterati, nouveau riche, assorted celebrities, politicians, and captains of industry at the Millionaire Fair, where we watched them splurge their hard-earned, unearned, or ill-gotten gains on some of the priciest merchandise in the known universe. There were stretch hummers, Scotch whiskey, French wines, US$350,000 diamond necklaces, and quoting from the New York Times, "Blüthner pianos, private islands off the coast of Dubai, beluga-size speedboats,......

Sh Shanghai: 200-yuan car horn fines "Shanghai is about to become a quieter city - from June 1, drivers of cars, mopeds and bikes will be banned from blaring horns within the Outer Ring Road." We don't see this being enforced. Two city spots crowned in China's list of top scenic sites "Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Wild Animal Park were crowned as two of China's top-grade scenic spot, according to a list......

Large hydropower project in Chonqing to start production in October Started in 2005, the new project is slated for completion in 2009 and will account for for approximately 30% of Chongqing's total installed capacity. Shanghai Subway Line 1 experiences problem causing up to half hour delays This happened on the 19th, around 12pm. The train stopped in the middle of the tunnel, and then began to slowly move again, only to stop and start......

Shanghaiist has a lot of guys on the staff (for a reason we just can't fathom — we really want more female contributors). So, naturally, a tip posted in our Shanghaiist Forums about Shanghai playing host to an International "Miss Bikini" Competition caught our attention. Our first thought, why wasn't this in Sanya — the home of everything World competition related? Our senses quickly restored, we realised that a whole bunch of mega-babes wearing next......

The Private Property Party "China Digital Times has noted a Wall Street Journal article that reports on heightened sensitivities around the subject - sensitivities that may have resulted in the current issue of the business magazine Caijing being pulled and revised." China lawmaker wants Forbidden City free of Starbucks "A member of China's parliament has demanded the immediate closure of a Starbucks coffee shop set up inside Beijing's Forbidden City, the Xinhua news agency......

Tech Flocks To Shanghai "According to a report from Russell Reynolds Associates based on Shanghai government statistics, 144 foreign companies now have their Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, 48 of which established operations there only in the last year." City traffic police tougher on jaywalking "Besides receiving a verbal reminder of the violation, jaywalkers and cyclists will be fined between five yuan to 50 yuan, depending on their behavior and attitude." Shanghai Surprise "If you......

Chinese survey finds religion booming "Professors at East China Normal University estimated that about 300 million people - equivalent to more than 30% of the adult population - followed Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Muslim or other beliefs." YouTube - Baidu Movie "Baidu's movie relased before its landing on Nasdaq." YouTube - baidu vs google "'Baidu PK Google, what will happen?" List of Officials Who Kill Others or Themselves "Here is an unusal list of Chinese......

China confirms satellite test, allays fears "'What needs to be stressed is that China has always advocated the peaceful use of space, opposes the weaponisation of space and arms races in space.'" China sticking to one-child policy despite gender gap "China will not loosen its one-child policy, despite a top family planning official’s acknowledgment Tuesday that it was partly to blame for a worsening problem of too many boy babies and not enough girls......

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading to......

We told you about Charlie Fowler and Christine Boskoff a few days ago. This site has proven to be the best source of updates on the search for the two well-known climbers. Unfortunately, none of the updates have included the news we are all hoping to hear. Here is the latest since Dec. 18: • On December 18, 2006, the Chief of the Consular Section U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu, China, reported that the governments......