Shot by Ricardo Mendialdua in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. more ›

"TWO former vice mayors in east China, convicted of corruption and taking millions of yuan in bribes, were put to death today. Xu Maiyong, 52, former vice mayor of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and Jiang Renjie, former vice mayor of Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province, were executed today, Xinhua reported. Xu was given the death sentence for taking 145 million yuan (US$22.31 million) in bribes, embezzling 53 million yuan and abusing power. Nicknamed 'Xu of Plenty' because he possessed a lot of money, houses and women, Xu accepted and sought bribes from 14 companies and individuals and helped them get government projects, evade taxes, obtain land and get government jobs, China News Service reported. Jiang was found guilty of accepting 108.57 million yuan in bribes from property developers between 2001 and 2004 when he was in charge of urban planning, construction and real estate development in Suzhou." [Shanghai Daily] more ›

If China knows how to do one thing right, then it’s building desperately average theme parks with the most over the top themes (See World of WarCraft Amusement Park for evidence). No wonder then, last Thursday the Huayi Brothers Media Corp announced its newest venture; a movie-theme park. more ›

The China touring car championship gets going this Sunday with the first of ten rounds happening in Shanghai. Take a look at a roundup of the championship and it's cars and contenders. more ›

Authorities are trying (and failing) to pin down the source of a mysterious and foul smell wafting about Shanghai's many districts, beginning Sunday and continuing into the early hours of Monday morning. Microbloggers in Pudong, Xuhui, Jing'an, Hongkou, Changning, and Luwan (and maybe even as far as Suzhou) have all reported a terrible smell, sometimes strong enough to elicit nausea and dizziness. The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau says that while they still cannot locate the source of the stench, which is said to smell like rotten eggs or fruit, they definitely have measured slight sulfur compounds in the air. But they assure residents that low concentrations of sulfur are not harmful to your health. Stay tuned... more ›

In nearby Suzhou, a pet dog was accidentally crushed by a passing minivan. Just how is this news? Stay with me. When the owner found out, he became so infuriated that he forced the driver and passenger of the car to kneel over his pet's corpse for an hour as an apology. more ›

True love exists! It really does! Maybe not in Shanghai, but in a smaller city not far from here -- Suzhou. more ›

It's a crying shame, but artist/musician/man about town Ben Houge is finally calling it quits with Shanghai, relocating back to the USA for “much of 2011.” To end his residency here with a bang, he's throwing a music festival/exhibition that begins this weekend in Suzhou. Yeah, Suzhou. more ›

As if a high-speed train from Shanghai to Kunshan wasn’t enough, today Shanghai Daily reported that a cross-province metro line has been approved. The link is due to connect the two cities by 2012, departing from line 11’s Anting station, which is somewhere between the inner ring road and the end of the earth. Even better, the authorities are considering an extension that would integrate it with Suzhou’s subway system so that, theoretically, you could take a subway from Shanghai’s Yu Garden to Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden. Yeah, it might take you three hours, compared to an 18-minute train ride, but that means you will have a greater chance of catching some awesome performances. more ›

It's not looking too great for Foxconn, Apple's Chinese supplier who once again is having to explain and help uncover why yet another member of the Foxconn team committed suicide yesterday. more ›

Local authorities have said they will be releasing 20 million fish - silver and green carp - to combat the overwhelming pollution that runs rampant in Taihu Lake near Suzhou, our next door neighbor in China's eastern Jiangsu province. Crazy? Maybe not. more ›

Found at a department store in Suzhou Industrial Park, this apple has a super red, glossy color, weighs in at 1.5kg and is roughly the size of a volleyball. But that's not the only reason it's 8800RMB (roughly $1,290 USD). It also has a golden Buddha painted on it. Well then, that makes it worth the price, we suppose. more ›

Keyframe Shanghai studio created this five (and a bit) minute animated short for the Harmony Times Square Skyscreen in Suzhou, China. The piece floats through space and zooms around the Earth before going to a crazy alien war/abduction sequence. It's pretty insane... but even more insane are the reactions of the mall goers, none of whom seem to notice what's going on above them. more ›

This warning may have come a little too late for some of you but the story needs to go out anyhow. The dog you see on the right, Addie, which belongs to Ryan McLaughlin (who also writes LostLaowai and CNet Asia's The Tech Dynasty) has just died from contact with aflatoxin-contaminated Optima dog food. Aflatoxicity leads to rapid liver failure and kills 80% of all dogs afflicted with it. more ›

Shanghai-based photographer Andreas Larsson takes us around the Suzhou production facilities of Lelo, a Swedish high-end sex toy label that manufactures adult toys for upwardly mobile women. We hear they're known for producing dildos so cute you'll want to put them into your handbag and carry them with you wherever you go. Now who says you can't be horny and classy at the same time? more ›

Thanks to reader Brian Lim who took this picture at the Shigongshan park in Suzhou! Send more pictures of bad Engrish our way at info AT shanghaiist DOT com... more ›