In honor of Science and Environment Day today (Saturday), Sagevision and the Ruijin Community Cultural Center, are erecting a ‘Community Trash Art Mural’ in Fuxing Park. They aim to “create public awareness and interest regarding the impact of trash on the environment in China and the world.” Shanghaiist has diligently been washing our plastic and metal trash and storing it for this big day. Participants will watch a short video on a product’s life cycle......

Photo by Augapfel The CCP of course. As we enter day two of nasty April showers it's comforting to know someone's got our backs. We reported when China heroically went to war against the elements this winter and now they're sending in the troops again to protect the Olympic opening ceremony this summer. Determined to prevent any moisture, China is prepared to deploy their doomsday device rain-controlling technology to stop any uncooperative clouds that......

Steve Buscemi and Southern Barbarian owner Feng Jianwen (Credit: Southern Barbarian) Next time, Steve, stay for some Grandma's Mashed Potatoes. Trust us. It's not every day that a Golden Globe and Emmy award nominated actor shows up unexpectedly at the launch party for a small photo exhibit at a Yunnan restaurant in Shanghai, China, but that's what happened yesterday when Steve Buscemi stepped in from the rain to check out Ying Tang's "Balance" at......

Just off the northern edge of Fuxing Park, this unusual building was the original French Club (le Cercle Francais Sportif) circa 1904. Later it was moved what is now the Okura Garden Hotel (and much later moved to Cafe Montmartre). For a while this was the French Concession's most prestigious public high school, Le College Francais. You can still see the monogram 'CFS' cast into the wrought-iron railing of the main staircase. There's also some......

So we know that scientists get paid peanuts in China, but there's hope yet: China Daily ran article about an amended national law which allows scientists to report failures.:The law, for the first time, allows scientists to report failures during the process of innovation without harming their records in future funding applications. "The country encourages scientists and technicians to freely explore innovation and bravely shoulder risks," reads the bill. Scientists and technicians, who can provide......

We told you previously of China's great vision to be a "harmonious society" by 2020 — yes, that year when paradise will come to earth if nations around the world all accomplish their visions. Now, it looks like there is even a "harmonious ranking" to help us measure how "harmonious" we are, and it has been created by Shanghai's very own East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) [华东理工大学]. Out of a possible 100,......

Every now and again you'll find something in the Indian press about China in which they fawn over Shanghai as the symbol of all that is going right with China. We recently came across more of these observations, no doubt occasioned, at least indirectly, by the recent launch of China's first lunar probe. The lead paragraph of a Calcutta Telegraph article reads:China has outpaced India in science in two decades and acquired a staggering lead......

Excitement is palpable among the crowd as China launched its first lunar orbiter, the Chang'e One satellite (named after the goddess of the moon 嫦娥), half a century after the Russians became the first to set out to space. Related links LA Times: China launches its first lunar orbiter Sydney Morning Herald: China joins Asian race to the moon Euronews: China launches lunar ambitions with moon shot Herald Sun: China sends first rocket to moon......

Shanghai surprise as luxury goods addicts flash the cash in red China [The Telegraph] Luxury goods addicts seem to have added Shanghai to the list of must-visit cities if the shopping buzz is anything to go by, says Mark Kleinman.China sets up party leadership reshuffle [Financial Times] China’s Communist party has cleared the way for the appointment of a new senior leadership group following the retirement of vice-president Zeng Qinghong and two other members of......

Li Yang (李阳) of the Shanghai-based Crazy English movement has been getting a lot of bad press lately, and Shanghai Daily's Wang Yanlin is the latest to chime in, with a hard-hitting piece slamming the self-styled English guru who believes that getting his students to yell out phrases after him combined with hand gestures is the best way to learn English. The media-savvy Li Yang is also a dynamic speaker on stage who clearly understands......

Indonesia - ‘Little People’ of Indonesia Seem to Be Distinct Tribe [NY Times] In the continuing debate over the origin of the extinct “little people” of Indonesia, a team of scientists says it has found evidence in three wrist bones that these people were members of a distinct species rather than humans with a physical disorder. Putrajaya, Malaysia - Malaysia lawyers hold rare demonstration for reform [Reuters] About 800 Malaysian lawyers marched on the prime......

Calling all foreigners! If you are above 14 years of age, have lived in China for at least a year, and will be here till at least the opening of the Olympic games next year, this could be your chance-of-a-lifetime to be an Olympic torch bearer! As with all things in China though, you will be put through a very rigorous selection process, so aspiring torch-bearers, please make sure you fulfill the following five BOCOG......

... and that is a conservative estimate, writes Bernie Leo of Shanghai Daily. We have to give it to him in the way that he succeeds to make a science out of the subject: Population figures for the city vary wildly but the latest I can find say we have 17 million permanent residents and four to five million migrants. Obviously not everyone is a spitter or expectorator. (And there is a difference. To spit......

Starting 4:51pm today, Shanghaiist will set aside his blogging, crane his neck out the window, look heavenwards, and try to feel connected to the universe and discover his cosmic purpose. (And we invite you to put aside all the mundane affairs of daily life and join us in this spiritual exercise, wherever you are.) For that, according to the Shanghai Observatory, is exactly when the first phase of tonight's lunar eclipse will start. It is......

We recently read a report on China's water/environmental problems, based on reports from Singapore's Straits Times. Despite living in China and developing some measure of immunity to dismal statistics, there was one that managed to shock us: environmental experts claim that without some drastic change, pollution might, within five years, make the Yangtze River just about inhospitable to all forms of life. The baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin, was only the latest victim: according to......

Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) has released its fifth annual Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) which saw American universities take eight of the top ten spots. Harvard University emerged right on top, followed by Stanford University and University of California-Berkeley. Britain's Oxford and Cambridge -- the only two non-American universities to make it to the top ten -- secured the fourth and tenth positions respectively. The top university in Asia was the University of Tokyo,......

It's not been a good month for climbers in Sichuan Province. Ok, that's an understatement. It's been a damn awful month. At the beginning of July, the body of accomplished twice-climber-of-Everest Christine Feld-Boskoff was discovered on the remote mountain peak of Genyan Massif, half a year after the body of her partner in mountain-climbing was found (we told you how the two prominent mountain-climbers went missing here and here). Boskoff was believed to have died......

Although Cirque du Soliel's Quidam opened a few weeks ago, Shanghaiist didn't get the chance to see the show until last night. Initially, we weren't exactly over the moon about seeing the Canadian troupe perform...to new age music...in tights...on one of our precious Friday nights. But, we were wrong. Insert foot into mouth here. Last night's show was a great display of entertainment, music, and dance that bridged that cultural divide. It was a welcome......

Briton Nick Young, founding editor and publisher of the China Development Brief (we're surprised this website is still up and running), has been ordered to shut down his politically-sensitive newsletter here and has been accused of 'conducting unauthorised surveys'. He also faces possible deportation and a 5-year ban from China. Danwei surmises that the shutdown may have been caused by a number of factors, including "a recent China Development Brief party attended by more than......

The Chinese-made Brilliance BS6 sedan, currently being sold in the European market, splendidly failed a German 40mph frontal crash test. Reuters said:"In the event of a side crash, the strain on the driver's chest and abdominal area would be so high that a person would have little chance of surviving in a real accident," it said of test results for the Brilliance BS6 model. If you really want us to ruin your Saturday, check out......

New York Yankees sign on first Chinese players. The New York Yankees announced today that they have signed left-handed pitcher Kai Liu and catcher Zhenwang Zhang to minor league contracts, becoming the first Major League team to sign a player from the People's Republic of China with approval from the country's baseball association. China Fines Six Banks for Lending to Stock Purchases China's banking regulator fined six banks for making loans that were illegally......

12 Chinese Dating Sites Under Fire? These sites have been accused of promoting prostitution. Beijing claims Tibetan relics All religious artifacts in places of worship in Tibet belong to the Chinese state, the official Xinhua news agency said yesterday, in Beijing's latest attempt to exert control over religion in the restive Himalayan region. Hill arrives in Beijing to discuss nuclear issue Top U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill arrived Wednesday morning in Beijing, saying it is......

Summer is here and everything is heating up. Leading up to this weekend, this is what Shanghaiist thinks is going to be hot today and tomorrow. Today, Wednesday May 30th Texans In Exile Monthly meeting at Bubbas Texan or a friend of Texas? You can meet up with fellow lovers of the Lone Star State during their monthly T.I.E. meeting at Bubbas tonight from 7pm. Call Ken to let him know you're coming. 7pm......

Wuhan Science & Technology Institute recently co-sponsored a Graduate Fashion Week in the city to showcase the talents of some 450 graduate students from all around China. Likely making this event the first major level graduate fashion week in China. The event which took place on May 8 to 12 not only paraded the designs of students on the catwalk, but had them also compete for the top positions in as many as 14 different......

Fox: Read My Tattoos, No Prison Break In China "News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS.A) Fox Television denied that it has licensed Beijing based media company Zonbo Media to remake American TV series Prison Break or any related online activities in China, reports Beijing Youth Daily." Lawsuit says Ark. company selling counterfeit Budweiser in China "Anheuser-Busch Inc. sued USA Bai Wei Group Inc. in Arkansas' Pulaski County Circuit Court, seeking an injunction to revoke Bai Wei's......

Shanghai's bank lending soars in April "Most of the loans went to the manufacturing, water conservancy, real estate and retail and wholesale sectors," Mainland investors transfer RMB70 billion from savings to stocks until April this year. "The investment spree has aroused concern from the industry watchdog." Alleged HK insider-trading scandal draws criticism from the US "A light regulatory regime, lightning fast flows of information and gossip, plus a get-rich-quick-at-all-costs ethos make markets such as......

China is biggest espionage threat to Canada "Almost half of counter-espionage efforts in Canada target Chinese spies, the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service told a senate committee on Monday." Songs, kisses and sweat on Labor Day of migrant workers "In the prosperous metropolis of Shanghai, migrant workers even joined in performances, singing and dancing and taking part in games to show their talents." Hershey lures Asians with green tea Kisses "The century-old......

Looking for something to do after our happy hour? Provided you’re still standing — bravo! — you may want to crawl to/check out the Walkman Battle at Pirates. We’re digging Pirates lately — good space, interesting events, and a tasty chocolate martini that even comes with a chocolate Pocky-esque biscuit. The party brings together several independent local collectives: The Dopefiend (welcome back!), Playmobil, studiozero (they of Leonard de Leonard, DJ Science, Ramona Cordova, et al......

Shanghai's Science and Technology Museum is getting somewhat of a workout of late. Firstly, it hosted perhaps 2007's biggest bash, and then the news that Canadian entertainers Cirque du Soleil will perform their long-running Quidam show at the museum forecourt from June 28th. The shows will be performed inside a huge tent at a 2,000-square-meter site across from the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in Pudong. Shanghai will be the only stop for the popular......

At least, that's what the Swedish fashion retailer would like you to think, given the massive party it threw last night at the Pudong Science and Technology Museum, which included a brief appearance by Aussie pop queen Kylie Minogue. It's clear that expansion into Asia, specifically China, is high on H&M's priority list, so their media machine can be forgiven for grand pronouncements like "Asia is about to change" that show up in our......