Curated, Opinionated Shanghai Living

News, updates, everything we've got...
- New Study: Shanghai Underwater by 2100, Wagas to Carry On Regardless
  
  Terrifying news, if you plan on living to 100+ years old. Shanghai’s going down. DOWN. Underwater. Sunk. A new study from the National Academy of Science shows water rising faster than they previously thought, and that in the worst-case scenario, sea levels will rise by two meters, putting numerous cities underwater. Specifically named? Shanghai! Read on
- Hey Photographers! We Want You to Work for Us
  
  We are hiring a Junior Photographer to join the SmartShanghai team of roving, raving lunatics. Are you it? Do you have what it takes? We want a great, young photographer who already shoots well but also wants to learn from the SmartShanghai senior staff photographer, who shoots things like this. There's a lot to be learned, and you'll be working closely together. The basics go like this: you have a Chinese passport, you realize photography is not going to make you rich (or this job won't, at least), and you want to get out and shoot all kinds of stuff all over the city for the Editorial team. Does that sound like you? Then read the full job listing here and tell us who you are.
- Pumped Up Kickflips: X Games Coming To China For The First Time Ever, Again!
  
  X Games! The premier event for dudes and ladies on small and medium-sized wheels doing improbable things on ramps. Don't miss the world's "ultimate sport and cultural festival" making its debut in China! Which is weird because we distinctly remember it happening before. Anyway, ESPN is (re)kicking it off with a new partner, throwing a two-day event (June 1-2) with three classic disciplines: Skateboard, BMX and Moto X, including a 10-story-high big air stage. Brazilians Luan Oliveira and Leticia Bufoni are set to compete, as are Zack Warden, Tom Pages, and, big name here, Nyjah Huston, the shoe-in to win everything skate-related. Surrounding the event will be the "X-Feast" food festival and live music from the likes of Soft Lipa and MC HotDog. Tickets available right here.
- This Hundred Year Old Villa Is Now a Stylish, Affordable Furniture Shop
  
  Ruan Wenzhong, a patriotic entrepreneur and charitable official in the late Qing Dynasty, owned a very nice house on Yongjia Lu. The house at 617 Yongjia Lu, built in 1906, has been a mystery for much of recent history, however, closed to the public for decades. Until March 2019, when it became "The Paragraph", an independent design shop that sells affordable Nordic-style furniture and contemporary arts. Neighbors and shoppers alike finally got to see inside. So did I. Read on
- ERMAPUB Is A Transplant From An Alternate Timeline
  
  Fresh openings down at the end of Hengshan Lu. Erma Jiuguan, a new Sichuan bar slash club lounge right next to The Park Tavern answers the question "what if a traditional pub evolved into the hottest nightclub in a third-tier city." It's not clear who was asking. Read on
- It's Finally Over: Where To Watch The Game Of Thrones Finale
  
  It's been eight seasons, hundreds of characters, scores of tits, thousands of memes, dozens of deaths (some were memorable, some were Melisandre), a dwindling supply of dragons and 200% more incest than we should really be okay with. But it's finally here! Last episode. Here are the places showing it. Not to spoil anything, but uh... is there even an Iron Throne anymore? Because of the... you know. The thing. Fwooosh. Read on
- Big, Huge, Large, Massive Football Match Happening This Week in Shanghai
  
  Sure, go ahead and shell out the big bucks this summer to watch some guys wearing Manchester City laundry jog around Hongkou Stadium. City will be here July 20 for the “Asia Trophy,” a football term which means, “match that doesn’t count for shit unless you’re our CFO.” We’ve got a better idea: for less than 200rmb on Sunday night at Shanghai Stadium, you and 25,000 or so crazed fans can catch what is likely to be the most electric Chinese football match of the year. Read on
- The Biggest (Fake) Supreme Store in the World is Now Open in Shanghai
  
  A new two-story fake Supreme store recently opened in Minhang. It's the biggest fake Supreme store in the world, so, of course, we went to see how genuine their fakes are. The first thing you notice is that it’s substantially bigger than the first one that popped up on Huaihai Lu a while back, but still not quite the seven-story beast that was predicted. The second thing you think to yourself is “why is this in Minhang?” Not exactly the epicenter of streetwear fashion in Shanghai, is it. Read on
  
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- These People Are Walking 100,000 Steps in a Single Day for Charity on Saturday
  
  These people crazy. A group of almost two dozen people are sacrificing their sleep, their toenails and the ability to move for a week this weekend, doing a 100,000 step challenge — that's between 70 and 80km depending on stride length — on Saturday May 18 to raise money for the Heart to Heart charity. Last year, they had 15 people and raised 41,000rmb — enough to pay for one child's entire corrective heart surgery, and contribute to a second. (Each surgery is 30k.) The route? Jing'an Temple to... Jinshan. So far away it has a beach. They start at 3am and end when their shoes evaporate and their legs are just bloody stumps. Heart to Heart provides corrective surgery for Chinese children from all over China with congenital heart defects whose parents are unable to afford the surgery. To sponsor these nutso people, scan the QR code on the flyer, or donate directly to H2H. Happy pavement-shredding!
- Singer Who Beat Out Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone for a Grammy Plays Shanghai on Wednesday
  
  Kacey Musgraves rolls into town Wednesday night at the Bandai Namco Shanghai Base Dream Hall in Jing'an for Part II of her “On What a World” tour. What’s that you say? Who the hell is Kacey Musgraves? You must have skipped the Grammys this year: her “Golden Hour” knocked off entries from Cardi B., Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone to win Album of the Year honors. Read on
- Suits and Ties: Job Fairs, Management Workshops and a Start-Up Summit on the Horizon
  
  For those of you doing more serious things than ladies nights and beer pong, there are a few notable business events coming up in the next month. The biggest one is 4YFN, a start-up summit for next-generation technology (5G, IOT, AI, Big Data and beyond). The three-day affair includes a summit a startup exhibition area, an award for Startup of the year, and a platform for meetups and matchmaking. More info here. There's still time to become an exhibitor. Then we've got Le Wagon Digital Talents Job Fair this weekend, a job fair or software developers, data scientists and digital marketing experts, among other tech specialties; BritCham's time management workshop; AustCham's How to Present to Non-Native Speakers shindig; and AmCham's two events in June about better communication and managing across geographies. Exciting! Click the links above more info on all of that.
- Superhuman Wants to Make Vegan Street Snacks Fashionable, Has a Long Way to Go
  
  Shanghai is a new frontier for ambitious entrepreneurs to put down their roots in the booming plant-based foods industry. The city just had its first plant-based meat festival, Nongfu Spring launched their first vegan yogurt line here, JUST's vegan Egg surprised us, and in less than a year, oat milk has become a standard choice at many coffee shops in Shanghai. Then there's Daphne Cheng, a young vegan chef formerly based in New York and who, to put it kindly, has received a lot of media attention. Her journey in Shanghai wasn't particularly smooth, though. She tried to open brick-and-mortar restaurant Superhuman twice in the past two years, and became a hot topic on Chinese social media as for refusing to cook meat on a popular cooking show, which then disqualified her. (To be fair, a shitty thing to ask a vegan to do, even for TV.) Read on
- JUST's Vegan Egg Has Come to Shanghai, and Here's What You Might Want to Know
  
  Silicon Valley darling JUST, Inc. has launched its plant-based liquid egg in Shanghai. We tried some of the plant egg dishes this week at the Hunter Gatherer at Hubindao —— one of JUST's official retailers. Read on
- Trend Watch: Go-Karting Under the Pearl Tower
  
  Formula 1 is over but the next major race has already begun: there’s a new go-karting circuit underneath the Pearl Tower! Opened in April with a spot from one-time literary bad boy and race car driver Han Han, it has yet to be wanghong’d — that means no lines and no waiting to race around Lujiazui at ground-level. Read on
- Freebies: Dress Up Like Kelley Lee, Win a Month of Free Boxing Cat First Blood Beer
  
  Boxing Cat Brewery is launching their newest beer, First Blood, this weekend, with a superhero themed party at Yongfu. Elastic tights, creepy abnormal people, copious booze and DJs. Just another night on the town in Shanghai, right? Right. Except this one comes with the chance to win FREE (First Blood) BEER FOR A MONTH. How? Simple. Be the best dressed superhero you can be, which obviously means — just one idea here! — a tailored catsuit (gender-neutral) with a custom-printed mask of KELLEY "NO WE DON'T HAVE NACHOS" LEE and an inflatable sidekick that looks like Lee Tseng. There you go. Those ideas are as free as the beer you're going to win. Party details here. Have at it.
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Girls Night Out

It's Bar Rouge's ladies night, with a lucky draw for women, plus free manicure service and cocktails from 9.30-11.30pm. Free entry for all until 12.30am with password MVP...

Nightlife | Bar Rouge

Bingo Night Fever

Bingo down at the Bundside French restaurant, with big-time prizes, including a Niu scooter, a Forever bicycle and BlueAir purifier. One board offered to anyone have late...

Dining, Nightlife | Mr & Mrs Bund

Meaty Thursday

The Beach House does a signature 48 hour slow-cooked beef short rib + grilled pork ribs + two beers for 498rmb on Thursday, 6-10.30pm.

Dining | The Beach House
Feast

Social Supply throws a fifth edition of this F&B festival on the rooftop of Taikoo Hui with 15 chefs, a chef battle, a special brunch edition, cocktail competitions and l...

Community, Dining | HKRI Taikoo Hui

Cedric Gervais

Bar Rouge will be playing host to the Grammy awarded French DJ and regular resident at venues in Miami. House nation! 200rmb pre-sales or 300rmb on the door.

Nightlife | Bar Rouge

Cotton Club Blues Night

After 19 years and 5,000 shows, the venerable blues institution, Shanghai's world famous "Cotton Club," shut its doors on March 25 2017. The Royal Hombres were a fixture ...

Nightlife | The Pearl
Feast

Social Supply throws a fifth edition of this F&B festival on the rooftop of Taikoo Hui with 15 chefs, a chef battle, a special brunch edition, cocktail competitions and l...

Community, Dining | HKRI Taikoo Hui

The White Party

A summertime white party from MVP events at The Bottle Opener building. Party on the 92nd floor, with performances, dancers and lots of bubbly, and try to keep your threa...

Nightlife | Park Hyatt Shanghai

It's The Ship Afterparty: Ashley Be...

Ashley Beedle, the UK purveyor of house, deep house, soul, funk disco, and Balearic music, drops in on Electric Circus for the afterparty of It's The Ship, a music festiv...

Nightlife | Electric Circus
Feast

Social Supply throws a fifth edition of this F&B festival on the rooftop of Taikoo Hui with 15 chefs, a chef battle, a special brunch edition, cocktail competitions and l...

Community, Dining | HKRI Taikoo Hui

Youth Screening

In China’s 70s and 80s a group of idealistic adolescents in a military art troupe in the People's Liberation Army. They experience love, lust, betrayal, in the backgrou...

Community | Agora Space

Historic Shanghai Tour: 'Shanghai B...

George Wang and Betty Barr were both born and grew up in old Shanghai – but they didn’t know each other then. Their book, Shanghai Boy, Shanghai Girl: Lives in Parall...

Community | SmSh Territory
Monday Double, Buy 1 Get 1 Wraps

Monday all day Brothers Kebab does a buy-one-get-one deal on their fan-favorite: wraps. The only conditions are the at you buy in and each guest has to buy a beverage. On...

Dining | Brothers Kebab (People's Square)

ALL EVENTS

GALLERIES

- May 10, 2019
  
  La Tropezienne
  
  @ Bar Rouge
- May 12, 2019
  
  6th. Beernanza Beer Fest.
  
  @ Okura Garden Hotel
- April 30, 2019
  
  Alter. x 44KW pres. Bambounou
  
  @ 44KW
- May 4, 2019
  
  Dj Kiko Navarro
  
  @ Bar Rouge
- May 4, 2019
  
  Cinco de May
  
  @ VUE (Bar)
- March 22, 2019
  
  WISS DP Art Exhibition
  
  @ Western International School of Shanghai
- November 23, 2018
  
  Wellington Winter Christmas Bazaar
  
  @ Wellington College International Shanghai
- October 22, 2018
  
  Summer Camp
  
  @ Freesoul Montessori Kindergarten
- October 22, 2018
  
  Montessori Time
  
  @ Freesoul Montessori Kindergarten
- October 22, 2018
  
  Charity
  
  @ Freesoul Montessori Kindergarten

SMARTREVIEWS

22 May 2019

Coconut hotpot that tastes as good as it sounds

MichaelRussam on Coconut Taste (Huaihai Zhong Lu)

On Huaihai Lu, there’s a smart second-floor hotpot restaurant slinging coconut chicken hot pot. It’s apparently a specialty on the island province of Hainan and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s pretty much as good as it sounds. The vibe is hotpot with a modern makeover, vaguely t... Read more
22 May 2019

Good Pretzel. Weird Sauerkraut.

emmgant on Paulaner Brauhaus (Xintiandi)

When I got this assignment, I was a little annoyed. RMB80 for a wheat beer at a notoriously touristy establishment that’s known for serving overpriced mediocre German food? Why, SmSh, why? Think of the microbreweries! I take it all back. I had the best time ever. The hostess sat me upst... Read more
21 May 2019

Mediocre, but at least consistently

globaltraveller on Boxing Cat Brewery (Yongfu Lu)

Over the past two weeks I have had two overseas visitors in town, one from Australia, the other from Germany, both of whom like their beers and pub grub, they had heard of the recent refurbishments undertaken by one of Shanghai’s long-standing brewpubs, Boxing Cat Brewery along Fuxing Xi... Read more