This is a sponsored post. As if learning how to rent out your unused space for cash, as well as stay on-the-cheap at other people's unused spaces around the world, wasn't enough, Airbnb is going the extra mile for Shanghaiist readers. We already taught you how to become an Airbnb member, now here's a sweet coupon. Enter "SHANGHAIIST" upon your Airbnb membership and you'll get $60 USD off your next rental. The coupon expires Aug 15, 2011… so act fast!
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We love it when people find creative ways to show off the awesome times they had visiting our city (it sure beats a picture slideshow), so here's a great China Reel from Kalum Ko, set to "Fake Empire" by The National. Hmmm, hidden political commentary maybe? more ›

In case your work or school hasn't given out the sched yet, here's what holiday dates in China will look like in 2010. Like 2009, Chinese people will get 29 days of holiday in total. Once again, National Day and Chinese New Year will both garner seven days of vacation, but cause people to need to work on the weekend either before or after. Why do they do that?! more ›

The following post is from our advertiser Ctrip To commemorate the annual pukefest celebration of life we call the Qingdao Beer Festival, we'll be turning into Qingdaoist in late August. We hear the fest, which spans from August 15 to August 30 is well worth the trip, so if you're a fan of beer and fun, you should think about coming too. Get a jump start making your way through the madness by booking through our friends at Ctrip, who have compiled all their flight deals to Qingdao here (flights from Shanghai start from just 500RMB). Come, not just for the beers but also to see a veritable cultural mashup when everyone begins using the nectar of the Gods as a diplomatic lubricant. more ›

Last week, intrepid Shanghaiist intern Kate Ray traveled with a classmate to the nearby island of Putuoshan, most famous for its Buddhist temples and monasteries. After a week of eating seafood and being stared at by tourists everywhere for looking somewhat non-Chinese, she has safely returned to Shanghai to share her hard-earned knowledge about the island... more ›

As if it wasn't annoying enough already that the 60th anniversary was going to give us visa problems, China's now allegedly using swine flu as a reason to tighten visa rules for citizens from the United States. According to the AP, a May 3 notice said that all U.S. visa applications, including tourist and business categories, will now require six business days to process - express and rush services will be suspended until further notice. Applicants will also need to fill out a form declaring which countries and U.S. states they have visited in the last two weeks. China has denied discriminating against specific countries and insisted that “the adjustment of visa policy will not affect the normal entry of foreigners and exchanges of people.” more ›

Well shoot! If there's anything we're a fan of it's impromptu vacations, and now Ctrip.com's got a new FareAlert system in place to help us do fulfill our "adventure for the weekend" fantasies. Go to farealert.english.ctrip.com, enter your criteria - where you want to go, around when you'd like to go, and how much you would pay - and you'll get an SMS or an email if and when your criteria has been matched. more ›

Cathay Pacific has given an apology and an upgrade to “Airport Auntie,” the hysterical older Chinese woman who had a complete breakdown in the Hong Kong International Airport after she missed her flight. more ›

Bullet trains will be replacing all the daily Z trains between Shanghai and Beijing, making the commute between China's two mega-cities take ten hours instead of 12. Sadly, prices will be rising to accommodate the new technology - up to RMB 655 for upper berths and RMB 720 for lower berths one-way. Comparatively, the Z train's upper berth was RMB 478 and the lower berth was only RMB 499. We wonder if these fancy schmancy new bullet trains will have “hard seating.” Sure, it sucks to be sitting for ten hours, but at least you won't be wondering why you didn't just shell out the exact same price to go by plane. Source: Urbanatomy more ›

In light of this week's national holiday, here are some transportation stories for your enjoyment: Shanghai to host 4.4 million tourists during the May Day holidays: That is five percent more than last year. Yay. Avoid People's Square and other hot spots these week.China May Day spells nightmare: This AP story claims that the Chinese government is looking to develop "a new system of staggered holidays" to ease the burden on the nation's transportation systems.... more ›