Olympic soccer (football) preliminary play started yesterday, with the Chinese women's team beating Sweden 2-1 on goals from Xu Yuan and Han Duan. The men's team plays New Zealand tonight in Shenyang, and Shanghai Stadium will host games next week, beginning with men's Group A matches on Sunday. Football is the most loved sport on the globe, but Cameron Wilson writes for China Sports Today that the Olympic tournament has little significance in the eyes......

Police said yesterday they had cracked down on a Shanghai terrorist cell planning violence at Olympic soccer matches in the city. Shanghai’s Olympic security office head Cheng Jiulong said police, who were put on “crisis” level several days ago, had learned of several international terrorist organizations and staged raids successful in arresting potential attackers. Information not mentioned in Jiulong's report included how many people were arrested, when they were taken into custody and where they......

Shanghaiist received an anonymous tip earlier today on our Contribute page: Don't know if anyone has confirmed whether this was an accident or not or generally what happened... but it appeared that Shanghai Stadium was on fire this morning. That's all the information we have so far, and we haven't been able to find anything about it in the local press. Was anyone in the neighbourhood at that time?......

Photo by Brad Westphal Shanghai East Asia Hong Kong United 0 – 3 LA Galaxy Two late goals from Ecuadorian striker Carlos Ruiz gave a final scoreline that not only overstated the quality and excitement of this game, but also flattered a lack-lustre LA Galaxy side at the largely empty 80,000 Shanghai Stadium. East Asia had reduced Major League Soccer's Galaxy to few chances on goal and had even looked the more threatening side......

Tonight will see the massive Shanghai Stadium host a sporting event for seemingly the first time in ages. More akin in recent times to holding pop concerts and ceremonies, the 80,000 all-seater arena will be the venue for an exhibition match between American MLS Soccerball team LA Galaxy and China Division One side East Asia (kick-off 7:30pm). The match is part of the Galaxy’s pre-season tour of East Asia and will also serve as a......

David Beckham was swarmed by fans and journalists when he arrived yesterday at the Pudong airport with the LA Galaxy on the second stop of their three-part Asian tour. The team has just arrived from Seoul, where they were defeated by FC Seoul despite Beckham's stellar performance. The team faces off China All-Star Union at the Shanghai Stadium this Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 pm. For those of you hoping to catch some Beckham-mania, rumours......

Amsterdam-based World Press Photo earlier this month announced the winners of its annual photo contest, the world's largest and most prestigious for press photography. Shanghai-based photographer Ariana Lindquist, an American who shoots for the New York Times, TIME and other publications, won first prize in Arts and Entertainment for her portrait of a girl in an anime costume at Shanghai Stadium. We think the least all Shanghaiist readers could do is buy Ariana a drink......

Well...after a day of bloating ourselves on turkey and pumpkin pie (sorry Shanghaiist is American and assumes that everyone else wants to be one) the perfect cure is a night of live music. Lucky for us Convenience Store, one of Beijing's longest lasting and most reputable Brit-pop bands, is going to be playing out at Live Bar tonight. Shanghaiist has waited along time to see this band, in the past we were busy or too......

Metro news from the local press: The case of the young man who was squeezed to death between the metro train and the glass security doors on the Shanghai Stadium Line 4 platform will begin pretrial procedures tomorrow. The People's Daily has published an overview of new developments in the Shanghai newspaper industry, including a paragraph highlighting the success of the free commuter paper I-Metro Express (I时代报), the only newspaper to be distributed for free......

Hot on the heels of the FIFA Women's World Cup, yet another international sporting event, right here in Shanghai. The Special Olympics will open on 2 Oct at the Shanghai Stadium and run all the way till 11 Oct. We hear from the organisers:Award-winning producer and director Don Mischer has created a spectacular Opening Ceremonies event to mark the official opening of the World Games. The event will include star-studded entertainment, the Parade of......

World Car Free Day, September 22 Ever thought of what you're doing to offset your carbon footprint? This Saturday, instead of driving your car or taking a taxi, why don't you try taking public transport, cycling or walking instead? Residents will be asked to avoid driving private cars within the Inner Ring Road, and while compliance is not mandatory, driving will be banned outright in some areas. Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), September 25 As the mercury......

Due to multiple requests (total of two, and one was me) here is more golden week festival news. The previously mention Hop Festival has gotten an official name...so....let it hence forth be referred to as the Yue Festival. Ticket prices are set at 140rmb for students, 280rmb advanced purchase and 360rmb at the gate. Rock-ing has also released their ticket prices and they range from 280-880 depending on how special you want to feel. For......

We learnt from Shanghai Daily today that a very unfortunate man in his early twenties trying to board a train at Shanghai Stadium metro station yesterday afternoon never made it to his destination. The unidentified man was trying to squeeze his way onto a crowded carriage (as many other Shanghai residents are wont to do), but didn't manage to get in. Subsequently: When the doors of the train closed, he was unable to step back......

What have we, what have we, what have we done to deserve this? While glancing at the headlines on the Shanghaiist Forum yesterday, one headline jumped out at us: Pet Shop Boys. We have to say we were mildly interested: One, Pet Shop Boys are past their prime enough to make a show in Shanghai seem realistic; Two, we are not ashamed to admit that 20 years ago we spent a fair amount of time......

Shanghai to open another long-distance bus station.Though we're not sure where it is, it is in the north part of town and should be operational by March and will be bigger than the one in Shanghai Stadium as well as the others around town.First multi-language e-map of Beijing now online.Chinese are told to stay clear of South Pole. Is Antarctica the "hottest" new tourist spot for affluent Chinese?A mother takes sex education into her own......

Now that all the fuss and excitement surrounding Robin Gibb and Air Supply has died down, what do we have to live for during the coming cold and brutal winter months in Shanghai? In addition to our beloved electric blankets and space heaters, there's going to be a little something for everyone to look forward to as we plunge into the cold. Next Friday, Christmas is going to come early for fans of contemporary Christian......

China's biggest football bad boys, Xian, come to town tonight to take on Shanghai Shenhua in a CSL clash with more complex plot twists than a tornado ripping across your granddad's allotment. The Terracotta Army City, famed in the world of Chinese football for being home to the craziest and rowdiest fans in the land, is something of a hotbed of football hooliganism, having been the scene of several riots in the past. Referee's attacked,......

By now it is possible you have already heard that Macy Gray is singing (about three songs) in Shanghai next month. We thought perhaps we should try to present this news in a different light since we are a little late in getting it up on the site. But then we had to pick a friend up at the airport and his flight was late and his dog is arriving on a later flight (poor......

Being a Mandopop star seems like hard work. Endless promoting, little creative control, mediocre output, a demanding fanbase, a music market that is overrun by counterfeiting and short shelf life. It must get tiring. Wang Leehom is the rare pop star that has not only retained, but gained popularity after 10 years in the fickle Chinese pop business. On Saturday night, he brought his show to a capacity crowd of pop fans at the Shanghai......

In the past few months, Shanghai has been visited by quite a few notable foreign musicians: a group of wily geriatric rockers, one-third of a has-been disco brotherhood and a spiritual singer with a love for Chinese orphans. There's also been a consistent lineup of bands playing Shanghai's underground rock scene. But what of all those poor souls in the city that yearn for some live Chinese pop music? Their prayers will be answered this......

Aline bought two "tiny and fast" hamsters and recently had a "crazy night".Seven Castles gives us an interesting history lesson on Kung Fu, as well as Shanghai Stadium and Ruan Lingyu (we don't know what the connection is either).My Green Head tells us what's been going on at the gym.John Sinosplice saw a dog die and a man make money from it.Wanbro will tear you a new everything if you say either Peking or Canton,......

Well, we predicted it. In a prophetic piece of posting from the very early days of Shanghaiist’s existence, we raised the possibility of a James Brown concert in this city. Or rather, we suggested it would be a very welcome thing. Now it’s a reality. Only, James and his 19-piece band won’t be playing the Shanghai Stadium as we predicted, but the Yun Feng Theatre. Not familiar with it? Nor were we. It’s owned by......

Yep, we have one. And it even leans more than the one in Pisa. But very few people know about it. And even fewer visit it. Only 2,100 people made the trek to Huzhu Baoguang Tower during Spring Festival -- and, in China, 2,100 is statistically zero. The reason? No one knows how to get to the tower, located in Tianma Mountain Park in Songjiang District which, 40 kilometers (the story says "kilograms") from city......

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......

The Ferrari Store on Madang Lu is rarely crowded. In fact, it is usually empty, save for its red-uniformed staff. And this makes sense to Shanghaiist -- why would anyone pay $30 for a baby bib? But yesterday was a different story. There were cars on the patio, and a couple hundred people crowding around them. This can mean one of two things: either a taxi hit another bicyclist ... or there's an F1 race......

Running is no fun. Shanghaiist knows this because, having tired of frequent comments about our growing beer paunch, we hit the treadmill last night for the first time since -- wait for it -- the fall of the Berlin Wall. And man was it hateful. Which is why we have a lot of time for a person like Justin Gatlin. He wisely tries to spend as little time running as he possibly can: 9.85 seconds,......

We seemingly love Super Voice Girls here at Shanghaiist, and so does Shanghai. Tickets for the October 6 SVG show at Shanghai Stadium are selling at a record pace, according to the Shanghai Youth Daily via the AP. Tickets range from 50 to 580 RMB, and the price is right for thousands of local Yu Mi, Fen Bi and Liang Fen (it all makes sense if you read this story). All 6,000 floor seats were......

Shanghai Shenhua rocked the house in Xuhui last night to take the honours in an action-packed Shanghai soccer derby by beating city rivals Inter, 2-1, to maintain second place in the China Super League. A respectable attendance of an estimated 20,000 (including Shanghaiist) created a tremendous atmosphere, despite the venue being 80,000-seat Shanghai Stadium. Shenhua’s famous Blue Devils supporters club did their best to out-shout their Inter Shanghai counterparts, proving that serious rivalries between the......

Derby fever sweeps the city Saturday night as the city's two biggest football clubs go head-to-head in the China Super League at Shanghai Stadium. 2003 Champions Shanghai Shenhua take a trip down metro line one (after a short trip on the light rail) to meet rivals Inter Shanghai who will be hoping to make amends for a 1-0 defeat in the last meeting between the sides in April. Fans will be hoping for a few......

Get your Hipster Bingo cards ready, Shanghai's fledgling underground music scene will flex its puny indie-rock muscles this Saturday at Hong Dou Dou Music Bar near Shanghai Stadium. If Shanghaiist decides to go, that's four bingo spaces filled right there. (We'll let you figure out which ones.) Maybe five if we smuggle some PBRs in our pockets. Or, since we're in Shanghai, would REEB count? A can of REEB and a mirror equals hours of......