Almost two months after the terrifying Line 10 rear-end collision that left 280 injured and cast aspersions over Shanghai's claim to modernity, Shanghai's Metro system continues to be plagued by a myriad of technical problems. more ›

Now that restrictions during rush hours on Line 2 have worked out swell, Shanghai metro operators will be introducing them at night as well to ease tourist congestion - especially at the Nanjing Dong Lu stop. Apparently, 144 passengers enter that station every minute between 8pm and 9:30pm, more than the evening rush hour. The situation has gotten so bad that some staff are allowing people in without paying first, asking them to deal with it at their destination. Two more ticket booths havev been added and station entrances will now be closed when "crowds are overwhelming." more ›

Hey hey, metro riders: Metro Line 2 will be extending its service time towards Pudong airport beginning tomorrow! From now on, instead of that rush hour avoiding 9am to 4pm time frame, the daily hours between Guanglan Road Station and Pudong airport will be 6:30am to 9:30pm. Intervals between trains will also be cut to about 8.5 minutes, from the almost 20 minutes it is now. Metro operators say they expect Line 2 to become "the busiest among the city's lines" after the schedule change. more ›

• YES! YES! Testing has started for the Metro Line 2 extensions that would connect our lil' green rail to both the Hongqiao and Pudong Int'l Airports. Sure, getting there will take a crap load of time if you're riding the subway, but we are still ecstatic for the option! [Shanghai Daily]
• Want to know what the right price is for ayis, drivers, visas and housing? eChinacities breaks it down for you. [eChinacities]
• Youth consultancy Neocha opens up their doors and lets you take an intimate peek at their studio in Shanghai, apparently often described as one of the "most eclectic and random" work spaces in the city. [Neocha]

• Shall we go for a jaunt in the cemetery, check out celebrity graves and catch a flick? [Shanghai Daily] "Though young people are less fearful than their parents, going to the cemetery is still a grave undertaking, not a walk in the park. So it was a break with tradition when parklike Fushouyuan Cemetery in suburban Qingpu District applied late last year for scenic-site status from the city's tourism commission. Fushouyuan (literally Happiness Longevity Garden) says the process is underway and is making big plans to attract visitors throughout the year... That a cemetery could become a tourist attraction - and investors plan a cinema and a museum - is a sign that China's funereal (meaning sad) culture could slowly be lightening up."
• Enter the bunker of sound - 0093 [Urbanatomy Shanghai] Lisa Movius checks out 0093 - also called Ling Ling - a former bomb shelter turned rehearsal rooms where Shanghai's young bands have begun practicing their music. More than just a place to play, 0093 has become the glue that holds the Shanghai music scene together.
• Man falls onto Metro Line 2 track, killed by passing train [Oriental Morning Post] On Wednesday morning, a man suddenly fell onto the tracks at the Loushanguan Road station and was hit by an oncoming train. He was taken off the tracks immediately afterwards, but had died on impact, according to medical personnel. They could not find any documents on him. The Metro Line 2 train was delayed for 7 minutes.
• Shanghai’s Extreme Expo Makeover [All Roads Lead To China] "Well, you knew it was coming, and if you have been in Shanghai for the last 8 months you will already begun to see the signs of the 2010 Shanghai face lift. Extreme Makeover style. It is a process that will spare few neighborhoods, look for lots of buildings encased in green construction packaging, and the last line of the Shanghai Daily article City to clean up for Expo really says it all: 'Old residential areas, wet markets and small streets are the key targets'."

File this under the2010 World Expo actually making our lives marginally more convenient, huzzah! more ›