A last-minute add to the program over at JZ, the Copenhagen-based group called Jazz Kamikaze who have been getting rave reviews will be playing this thursday night at JZ Club. In fact, when Shanghaiist was in Copenhagen last February, we didn't hear the band but got to jam a bit with some of the players in it. They were great, very creative and vibrant musicians. And killer players! So we're expecting a great show from them. more ›

William Feng is the host of ICS Shanghai's travel show Getaway. New shows go out on Thursdays and are repeated across the week.
more ›

We seriously LOVE some of the things we hear about going on in our city. Yes, some of the people we meet here can be harsh and mean, but this story goes to show that humanity still exists in Shanghai. Two weeks ago, Rebekah Pothaar, an executive with Ctrip.com, found that her ayi's husband was in a serious motorbike collision. They went with her to the hospital and found that surgery was going to cost... more ›

Yet more news on China's HIV/AIDS situation, and this time from a most unlikely source. Did you know, dear readers, that Naked News, the "program with nothing to hide" that has its news anchors strip as they read the news, has male strippers newsreaders too? Apparently this program is targetted mainly towards the gay market (which makes us wonder if the program will ever have a market among women)? We were surprised to learn that... more ›

What if Beijing is right? [IHT] What if the doubters have been wrong all along? What if big government and an all-powerful state are good, not bad? What if the business cycle, hitherto thought to be inevitable, if completely unpredictable, could be repealed? These are the questions that Howard French of the IHT asks in his latest Letter from China.China's 1st lunar probe to reach moon orbit Monday morning [Xinhua] China's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1,... more ›

Not so long after its crackdown on foreign-language only signs in Xintiandi, the language police are now on to their next target -- the Shanghai Metro! They have objected to plans by the subway operator to train its staff to learn basic phrases in five major Chinese dialects -- a plan that is not without controversy -- so as to help domestic tourists and visitors when they ask for fares and directions. more ›

Learn more about this project more ›

Photo by Slow Boat to China taken from the Shanghaiist Contribute page.
more ›

At the risk of appearing as though we are once again fellating the "gay agenda", we thought we'd point out the interesting news announced Thursday that China aired its first program about gay and lesbian issues ... online. The show is called 同性相连 in Chinese and Gay Connections in English (although the Chinese press release calls the program Connecting Homosexual People) and it premiered its first episode of a 12-part weekly series on April 5... more ›

Since Shanghaiist has indie cred to burn, we don't feel that we need to justify our decision to attend the Kenny G concert last night. The show was two hours of jazz-lite — he actually only played one song and then just held the final note (an E-flat, we believe) for another hour and 55 minutes. Ok, unfortunately he played a lot of songs, including: that one pop song where he holds a note for a long time, that sort of latin song where he holds a note for a long time, that one that's almost bebop where he holds a note for a long time, and funk classic "Pick Up The Pieces". "Wait, can Kenny G bring the funk?" we hear you asking. No. But his band can. more ›

For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day. more ›

Every couple of years, Shanghai's art and culture scene comes alive as a slew of exhibitions are organized in tandem with the Shanghai Biennale, arguably the biggest art event in the city. And every couple of years, Shanghaiist is disappointed by the various offerings. Shanghai never claimed to be the cultural center of China but one would think out of all the events and exhibitions this fall, something would get Shanghaiist excited. Instead, we can sum up this fall's art events with one word: Boring! more ›

CNET reports, via Reuters and the South China Morning Post, that a courts in a city in Shandong province have been using a computer program to help calculate sentences in more than 1,500 criminal cases: more ›

The question posed by one Glenn Beck, a program host for CNN Headline News, during his nationally syndicated radio program. Shanghaiist learned of the story from Mediamatters.org: more ›

Of all things we miss from back home, clean air and fast broadband come to mind the most often. Well, that’s about to change. In 2010, while we’d still be coughing our lungs out and spitting phlegm on sidewalks, we can at least take comfort in the fact that sound medical advice from WebMD, the CDC and assorted other sites will arrive on our computer screens -- if computers still have screens in 2010 -- at lightning fast speeds ... or will they? more ›

Shanghaiist remembers with fondness the days in the schoolyard before the advent of computers. Oh how much fun we had, playing handball, flicking marbles across a concrete path, and moving small piles of dirt about the place. Who needs a new-fangled state-of-the-art role-playing video game like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (with full facial animations and lip-synching, a sinister plot involving an unknown assassin of the emperor, and incredibly life-like battle scenes where gamers wield Mithril blades against wave after wave of demons) when you’ve got a yo-yo? more ›

Remember when you misbehaved and your parents threatened to beat you senseless, send you to boot camp, or send you to Michael Jackson's ranch? Well, as soon as we read this article (in Chinese), all those memories came flooding back. This article from Southern Weekend is about the "Marching School", which is basically a school run like a military boot camp. more ›

It’s a known fact, kung fu is cool. Any dude that can take on 20 bloodthirsty enemies at once earns the respect due a master warrior in our book. So why not enjoy a free exhibition of local kung fu shi fu's at The Summit, September 17. Don’t be fooled by the flyer's picture of old, peaceful men in pink pajamas doing taiji quan, as Ivy Zhang of the Mandarin House assures us, they can still kick-ass: more ›

, produced and broadcast by the state-owned Hunan Province Satellite Television Station. The program's full name is Mengniu Yoghurt Super Voice Girls -- Mengniu being one of China's leading dairy product brands. more ›

While Shanghaiist has been here long enough that the picture to the right didn't seem wrong at all, it's true that Shanghai traffic can be a little crazy sometimes. And while we have personally been hit by a taxi (and several bicycles) it may be getting worse, despite efforts to the contrary. A few weeks ago Shanghaiist noticed that the intersection of Jianguo Xi Lu and Ruijin Er Lu was becoming rather, well, fortified. The sidewalk corners had been fenced in, and there were so many traffic wardens and police that we took to avoiding the intersection whenever possible. After all, when in a rush, the last thing we want is to have to stop at a red light. We did notice, however, a large number of signs standing on one corner, and had to investigate. It turns out that the signs are part of the most recent city-wide initiative to promote traffic safety that began in June. How? Well, whenever the police stop someone riding or walking the wrong way, they politely escort them over to the corner, where a warden attempts to educate them about the specific law they've violated. With the aid of pictures. Pedestrians, she informed us, are the biggest problem here. Strange, considering the police car turning left through a red light as she spoke. "In China we don't talk about that," she responded. more ›