A few years ago, locally-based writer and publisher Graham Earnshaw began releasing a series of out-of-print books about China pre-1949 and, more specifically, the interactions between foreigners and locals during that period (a copy of Carl Crow's Foreign Devil's in the Flowery Kingdom which made to Shanghaiist was particularly excellent). These books were extensions of an earlier web-based project, the Tales of Old China website, which has a remarkably extensive library and picture database cataloging......

Let the “Good Times” roll! Yes, Shanghai *finally has dosa (at least 10 types) and idli served with coconut and tomato chutney. With Vedas, Bukhara, Indian Kitchen, Masala Art and other Indian establishments here for years, you would expect these South Indian delights to have landed in Shanghai long ago, but to our knowledge this is a first. Wikipedia says this is how they are made…“Regular dosa batter is made from rice and split, skinned......

We left a little disappointed after The Analog Girl's gig at La Bella Cafe last Saturday. Recent hype aside, we had been hooked on the Singaporean musician's 2005 The TV Is On album and had been in eager anticipation ever since to catch her live. Never mind that the venue was intimate and our mojito well-mixed, The Analog Girl only performed a few tracks off her new EP Sometime Next Galaxy, scarcely lasting half......

Recently we were lucky enough to add a new guidebook to the collection: The Insider's Guide to Beijing (2008 Edition) brought to you courtesy of the nice people at Immersion Guides (affiliated with the unfortunately named That's BJ Magazine/website/thebeijinger.com). We have a lot of Chinese guidebooks, but we have yet to encounter one quite so thorough as this one. At just over 700 pages, it leaves no stone unturned*. Covering everything from buying art to......

High Voltage, Yu Yin Tang Shanghai 21/03/08 Phew. The morning after the night before and Shanghaiist's ears are still a-ringing — and our head still a-throbbing — from High Voltage's gig at Yu Yin Tang (as promised, we also hit Brown Nylon Suit at C's afterwards, which probably didn't help) so we're hoping you'll forgive us if this isn't the most in-depth or analytical gig review. As you've probably already read on these pages,......

In a genre that, perhaps more than any other in music, is driven by overt egos and self-worship, when a record opens with the words "Chinese hip-hop — a long way to go", you have to worry a bit about what will follow. This bluntly honest statement from Shanghai rapper BlaKK Bubble at the start of Hip-Hop.cn's new downloadable mix-tape is at times proven to be painfully accurate on this free release, but there are......

We know he's meant to be quite a bit more brilliant in concert than we saw the other night, but it seems as though a few things conspired to make Harry Connick's Shanghai show this past Sunday less great than it really should have been. For one, the role that the rest of the band played was way too small — it seems that we heard more from Bjork's brass section the week before! And......

Worst. Wong Kar-wai movie. Ever. Wong Kar-wai movies used to be mini-events in our lives, so we were probably more disappointed than the average viewer. It's hard to believe that My Blueberry Nights (MBN) was made by the same guy who made a gem of a road movie about ten years ago, Happy Together (HT). Both are road movies about lonely souls and wayward lovers, so it's hard not compare the two, but unfortunately,......

In our past life as a public relations executive, we were always surprised at how China's media world appears to be in sort of a pre-Cambrian age with as many publications going out of business as there are coming in. Call up all the journalists you've invited after a press conference and there always be bound to be one or two publications that have folded up. Well it appears we haven't quite come out of......

Compiled by Shanghaiist Staff Shanghai Eye has gleefully reported the demise of News Views Reviews in a recent post:Rumour has it Shanghai’s NVR magazine, a rip off of the week, is no more. Most nodding dogs agree, this was likely to happen. Owner Thats Shanghai is looking pretty ropey too, and now comes with a "RMB 18" price sticker. Jeremy Goldkorn of Danwei picked up the story and put the boot in:The idea of doing......

Via our Contribute Page, we learn that ISpyShanghai.com is a glutton for punishment recently conducted a taste test of beers readily (and cheaply) available in Shanghai. The photo above shows the awful selection they had to choose between, although only seven brews were ranked (we're not sure why ... maybe they got sick?). REEB and Budweiser came in at the bottom and Harbin (owned by Budweiser) came out on top. If we had to choose......

We attended the Chicago Improv All-Stars show at Henry's last night ... and we enjoyed ourselves. It kind of had the feel of a theme party at a friend's house (assuming that friend was very popular, brewed their own beer, had a very large living room with poorly placed pillars, was bad at training their staff and charged guests RMB 280 at the door). If you have ever seen an episode of Whose Line......

In preparation for the upcoming National Day holiday and the enormous amount of tourists that it will bring to the city's eateries, top restaurant review website Dazhong Dianping (roughly "Reviews by/for the Masses") has posted a list of the best locations to indulge in five of Shanghai's local specialties: Shengjian: those small, pan-fried baozi that you see people lining up on the sidewalk waiting to savor. Dianping recommends Xiaoyang Fry-Dumplings at 54-60 Wujiang Rd (previously......

Like half of the population of Shanghai, we attended the launch of the Bund Brewery last Friday. Free flow beer, bring it on. Consequently, like half of the population of Shanghai, we were sweating more than the scantily clad men in last Thursday's photo of the day. But, again, free flow beer, bring it on. The Bund Brewery is your beer-hall-about-town, complete with park-style benches, large copper kettles and wood galore. Certain Shanghai loyalists might......

Shanghaiist has learnt that if you synchronize the seminal Pink Floyd record The Dark Side of the Moon with the evening footage displayed on the Aurora building in Lujiazui, certain previously hidden messages are unearthed. For instance, one of the lines from the song “Money” -- “I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set” -- corresponds with a figure on the screen pointing towards the penthouse suites of the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel. Later, when the......

Shanghaiist was browsing around on SHExpat Forums yesterday, and came across a thread discussing the loss of one of Shanghai's renowned cheap eating establishments — Turk's. To our recollection, Turk's Restaurant was last seen on Xiangyang Road's restaurant strip during the final days of the old fake market's death-throes. The row of shops that occupied the western boundaries of the old market was soon reduced to rubble along with the remainder of a big portion......

Shanghaiist asked its contributors (and a few "music people" in town) to list their five favorite albums released (or yet-to-be released) somewhere in the world in 2006. Got a list of your own? Submit your favorite 2006 music as a comment to this post. Enjoy! Neil Yeung (no, not that Neil Young), Shanghaiist contributor Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones: On their latest LP, YYYs dug themselves out of the dank and metallic underground warehouse......

Joy of joys, Shanghaiist discovered a new beer last night. We were at an opening party for the new tudou.com (formerly toodou.com) office up on Suzhou Creek, and we found a slab or two of Blue Cowrie Beer sitting atop the bar. “Cowrie” as in the shell, which makes the cowboy motif on the label a little difficult to work out. At any rate, here are some of the beer’s vital statistics: Vessel: Can Size:......

Since Shanghaiist kicked off in July this year, we've inflicted opinion after opinion on you, our faithful readership. Here comes a whole bunch more. This time we've taken it upon ourselves to inform you about the best music released in 2005. Specifically, the top 25 albums of the year (summed up in exactly 25 words each). The list was painstakingly compiled by five Shanghaiist contributors. We say painstakingly because some of us absolutely loathed the......

This weekend Club One is holding its grand opening, DJ Zohra will be pumping uplifting house at Rojam, DJ Boro brings the electro to Fabrique ... (thanks SmartShanghai!) "But wait!" you cry. "Where are the guitars? Where are the jam sessions at smoky bars that the police come to shut down at 1 am?" Well, Shanghaiist hears you. Read on for this week's concert preview: Friday: The first time Shanghaiist heard about San Huang Ji......

Greetings, music fans. Below you will find, in Shanghaiist's humble opinion, all the music you should have been listening to in the first half of 2005. And if you haven't been able to check these albums out yet, you still have plenty of time to load them on to your mp3 player of choice before 2006. Five Shanghaiist contributors submitted five albums each for a total and 25 -- and they wrote exactly 25 words......