The owners of "Obama Fried Chicken", the little takeaway outlet in Beijing that gained international notoriety for its stylised logo depicting the president of the US of A, have decided to temporarily shut down the store, saying they have been completely overwhelmed by the media attention. more ›

The hurt feelings of the Chinese people, caused by the meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, dramatised by the one and only Next Media Animation: more ›

The world's #1 terrorist may be dead meat, but if you want a little something to remember him by, Yu Gardens is *the* place. more ›

In case you haven't heard, US president Barack Obama has announced that the world's number 1 terrorist Osama bin Laden has been captured and killed by US Navy Seals and his body thrown out at sea. Our friends at Next Media Animation have come up with this hilarious re-enactment of bin Laden's final moments. more ›

Not even officially off his ambassadorship to China yet (which ends April 30), Jon Hunstman has already become a political target ahead of his expected bid for the Republican ticket in the upcoming US election. Two letters Huntsman penned to Obama and Clinton have been leaked in what could be an effort, by either side really, to disrupt his potential campaign. Take a look at his love letter to Obama, which is sure to twist the panties of Republicans, and turn the stomachs of pretty much everybody, everywhere: more ›

Parade float spotted at a carnival in Germany by Racialicious: "Obama and Hu are depicted in bed together, with Obama handing Hu cash- a remark on the tremendous loan debt America owes China. Note how Hu, dressed in yellow, is depicted as wearing a yellow stereotypical “coolie” hat."
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It's been a while since Presidents Hu and Obama met in a Next Media Animation video. In this clip, Hu flies into Washington on China’s new stealth jet and raises hell for his hosts. Only for those with a sense of humour: more ›

There's a whole lotta action going on ahead of President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to the United States. Here's what's happening: more ›

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We've seen their evolution from hilarious, but tasteless, depictions of current news to hilarious and original on-point political commentary... and we're loving it! Bravo, NMA News for this great rap battle between Obama and Hu. more ›

The lovely folks down in Guangzhou celebrated their Halloween by throwing a big sex culture festival at the Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center. Amongst the million dollar sex toys and lingerie runway shows was this shot (on news.163.com) of a few blow up dolls, one of which happens to be modeled after the President of the United States. more ›

Shenzhen: the bright star of market liberalization and home to Foxconn controversies and Obama's half-brother is now being touted as the next... political reform breeding ground? On the heels of Premier Wen Jiabao’s political reform comments made during an August trip to the city, it is at the heart of an experiment that gives more responsibility and greater freedoms to independent social and civic organizations... aka NGO’s. more ›

Bringing change to the way you do your groceries! more ›

American taxpayers, listen up! Your presence at the world's biggest World Expo is costing you $61 million -- that's over four times the cost of Shanghai's new nightlife monstrosity named after your current president. more ›

Oh my Obama. The first thing we noticed when we arrived for the Obama Club’s soft opening party last night is that the place is massive! You could see the sign from two minutes away in a cab and we were already wondering how much they spent on the Las Vegas styled water display out front. No sign of the pink leg that was on their logo so that was a bit of a disappointment. Said to be designed by renowned American interior designers Cagley and Tanner from Las Vegas, the circular built club however had a familiar karaoke glow (think CashBox 钱柜) to it with golden fixtures and golden dance poles. more ›

Its PARTY TIME! Things are about to get busy in Shanghai with the long weekend coming up as well as the opening of the World Expo. We in particular are lusting in anticipation of the soft opening of the much-hyped Obama Club (which happens tonight!). So dust off your dancing shoes and grab that martini glass, it’s time to do the boggie! more ›

One of my former co-workers is now working with the club, and threw a relatively small gathering for their birthday there a few weeks ago, which I had the good fortune of attending. I'll admit, the styling is a bit typically Chinese gaudy, but I have to disagree on it being "yet another cheesy karaoke place." more ›

And quite frankly it looks like it's going to be yet another cheesy karaoke place (despite what they'd like us to think). At least that's the impression we got from the website, which doesn't allow you to turn off its very annoying music. But like the guys from Huffington Post and Vanity Fair, we're still looking forward to their soft opening on April 26. It's just, it's just... we haven't gotten their invitations yet. more ›

Today and tomorrow, President Hu Jintao will attend a nuclear security summit in Washington to discuss potential UN sanctions against Iran. China, who depends on Iran for 11% of its energy needs, has been hesitant in joining the US, UK, France and Germany in putting together a set of sanctions against the country. more ›

A friend caught this ad in a recent issue of City Weekend. Apparently a new club, named Obama Entertainment Club will be opening its doors on April 26th. Is it a late April Fools joke? Who knows! They have a website, but it's still under construction. more ›

Things aren't looking too great between China and the U.S. these days. While some say it'll all blow over (because it has to), a China with hurt feelings makes us bite our nails at least a little. Not to mention, the sheer amount of things annoying this country can get kind of confusing! So for your sake and ours, we've listed them out below: more ›

As we take a look back at the last year of our reporting, Shanghaiist brings to you a list of the most important news events of 2009. Whether they be political, cultural, or social, these were the things that happened that changed our lives and perceptions of the world around us, for the better or worse. more ›

As we take a look back at the last year of our reporting, Shanghaiist brings to you a list of the most important news events of 2009. Whether they be political, cultural, or social, these were the things that happened that changed our lives and perceptions of the world around us, for the better or worse. Without further ado, here's the top five news events from around Shanghai more ›

The higher ups are apparently mad at Guangdong paper Southern Weekend, which managed to snag an exclusive interview with President Obama when he visited in November. Chief editor Xiang Xi was demoted to second-in-command and replaced by a new editor after the CCP's propaganda department complained, sources told Reuters. Unlike most world powers, the U.S. White House went directly to Southern Weekend, long known for its more "adventurous" reporting of misdeeds and injustices, rather than go to a more official outlet. When propaganda department officials learned of this sidestep, they restricted the interview and slashed the transcript before it went to press. Despite the briefness of what remained, other Chinese papers were told not to republish it. But Southern Weekend editors surrounded the finished piece with "conspicuously large fields of blank space," a passive protest against the censorship that had happened. Now it looks that Xiang Xi is paying for that sass. more ›

Ah, video mash-ups, how we love you. Today's video of the day is a fabricated conversation between President Obama (taken from his town hall in Shanghai) and Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (from a press conference) where Qin demands Obama answer the question "do you have children?" Of course, we all know about Sasha and Malia, but that's not the point: what follows is a brief conversation about censorship between two ideological ships passing in the night. Obama talks about the worlds opened to his daughters by the internet while Qin waxes on how censoring the internet is one of the most important things we can do to protect our kids (or the ones we'll have someday). Will "do you have children?" become the new Chinese internet meme? more ›

Feeling a bit lonely this winter? Now you can add a new addition to your life! Shanghai residents can adopt stray cats from the Botanic Gardens. Even better, they will desex them for you. Aww, how puurrfect. [Shanghai Daily] The second wave of H1N1 vaccines is now available for college students and those over 60 in Shanghai. Too bad we still don't know the long term implications. [Shanghai Daily] more ›

In week one A.O., we've watched the press capitulate and rage some more for and against the quickly formed recaps and opinion pieces of last week. It's been a lot more rehashing of the same opinions, just with more breadth and depth. Of course, we like SNL news best, but here's some of the other articles on Obama in China making their way around the internet: more ›

• Get lost Yao Ming. Alright, stick around. But make room for the Harlem Globetrotters, playing at Yuanshen Sports Center on December 12! If you're not b-ball buff some quick stats: the Globetrotters were formed in 1926, have lost only two games between 1968 to 2000, and have a current winning percentage of 98.4%. Details on how to get tickets coming soon! [Urbanatomy]
• Many were left a bit disappointed by Obama's Town Hall in Shanghai: we wanted chairs flying and Chinese students drunken on Baijiu yelling obscenities at the President... or maybe just something a little less programmed. But there are some positive things to take away from the visit, and what it means for China-US relations. [Huffington Post]
• An interior-design company has been fined 40,000 yuan for employing a majority of foreigners without a work permits. Each of the 40 employees was fined 500 yuan. Ouch. Get your work permits before you start working in Shanghai. [Shanghai Daily]