In China's biggest muncipality, Chongqing, lies one of the most sought after sites in all of urban China. The site, which resembles lower Manhattan, has now been bought by one of Asia's biggest real estate companies, Capitaland, for more than 1 billion US dollars. Developers aim to transform the unique and charismatic site into an economic heavyweight in the future. more ›

• Urbanatomy informs us that tomorrow's free bar day - not only is Judy's Lounge opening up on Thursday (and offering drinks for free), but Cantina Agave is celebrating its one year birthday the same night (free food and drink) and the new Manhattan bar will also be plying 0RMB drinks to revelers from 10pm to midnight. [Urbanatomy]
• Kellie Schmitt interviews some of the Chinese workers who help make Christmas in Shanghai possible. [CNNGo]
• Did you know there was a netball team in Shanghai? One netball enthusiast tells it all. [Cityweekend]

Randy Cohen, New York Times "The Ethicist" columnist, might be inclined to think so. Granted, Cohen's anti-auto podcast from last week is about Manhattan, but several of his arguments already seem applicable to Shanghai (and, in 2020, when our city's subway system looks like this, there will be few ethical excuses for owning personal cars in most of Shanghai). Cohen lays out five reasons why cars and Manhattanites shouldn't mix. Here's No. 1: "Cars kill. If you introduced a transportation system by announcing, 'It'll only kill 40,000 people a year,' it's hard to believe it would gain widespread popularity." (The number of "traffic deaths" in China was down to 73,484 in 2008, but up 100 percent over the last 20 years.) Listen to all New York Times podcasts here or subscribe via iTunes. They're all free. more ›

Have you got an opinion? Shanghaiist has started publishing opinion pieces from readers on selected weekends, so if you feel like you've got something to get off your chest, email it to us at info AT shanghaiist DOT com and if we like it, we will publish it under this column. more ›

• Gothamist went to the scene of the Trump Soho construction collapse, which left one construction worker dead and others injured (an indirect culprit - Manhattan's hot real estate market, causing rushed construction jobs).
• Shanghaiist is confused by media reports as to whether Playboy will be available in China during the year of the Olympics.
• LAist got fugged in an interview with the Go Fug Yourself girls.

Shanghai's recent spate of shitty weather has gotten us hungry for soup. And when we say "soup," we generally mean the kind of soups we grew up eating during cold Pennsylvania winters. Chunky soups. Soups, to borrow a slogan, that eat like a meal. On a recent trip home, we dined a couple times at Panera Bread Company, which serves, among other things, hearty soups in sourdough bread bowls. We remember thinking Panera would be one of the American chain restaurants we'd like to see exported to China, instead of Applebee's or TGI Friday's. more ›

The word is out. Shanghai's first nature reserve in Nanhui District's Dongtan area has officially been established. The 40.3 km long beach area will be a haven for birds such as white cranes and little stints. Many migratory birds also nest there each year. more ›

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... more ›

Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. more ›

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. more ›

Let's look back at a week in which no site in the -ist network adopted anyone from Africa... more ›

We were walking on Maoming Lu near Huaihai Lu recently when we spotted (behind the watch/bag/shoe hawkers announcing to us that Xiangyang Market was no longer) a rather large image of the Statue of Liberty being attacked by a giant octopus. This caught our attention. The advertisement adorning the west-facing wall of the Cathay Theatre was for the movie Octopus 2: River of Fear (also known as "OCPOTUS" on some local posters). We generally try to stay on top of the latest goings on in the film world, and we were curious as to how we failed to notice the release of a movie about a massive cephalopod that attempts to take over Manhattan. So we did a little research. more ›

Three years ago, when this Shanghaiist first arrived in town, the downtown area was THE place to be for quality foreign food. It wasn’t exactly Manhattan (or even Omaha) but it was where you went when the craving struck — for Mexican at Taco Popo, Pizza at Melrose, burgers at Rendezvous Café, and that take-your-visiting-parents favorite, M on the Bund. more ›

Phillyist notes a fistfight between local pols that leaves one man down for the count. Jehovah's Witnesses get a Philly contributor out of bed, things get a little geeky with a film festival and geeky gets taken to a whole new galaxy when they talk with the Dragon Queen of the Dark Kingdom. more ›

a FuturePerfect on Huashan Lu more ›

Shanghaiist has just had the dubious pleasure of experiencing Guangzhou rush hour -- and even now, hours later, we still reek of eau de exhaust. So imagine how thrilled we were to hear that Dongtan (东滩) Chongming Island (崇明岛) right off Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River, is going to become the site of the world's first eco-city. Here's an excerpt from the press release. more ›

Cheapest beers in town more ›