Curated, Opinionated Shanghai Living

News, updates, everything we've got...
- Composer Tan Dun Is Performing "Buddha Passion" At The End Of June
  
  World-renowned artist, UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador, general-all-round-gift-to-the-world-of-music Tan Dun will be playing at Shanghai Oriental Art Center. You might know him from the soundtracks of a couple little movies called Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero? For a while there in the early 2000s, he was pretty much the sound of China in the mainstream. Rare opportunity to the see the man himself at work over two days. On Thursday, June 20, he'll be conducting the Orchestre National De Lyon in a performance of his five act "music ritual" Buddha Passion. It's some boundary-pushing stuff, in the vein of his previous piece Water Passion except this one's about Buddha. If you can't make it for that, he's also playing on June 21, leading French guest musicians in a performance of pieces by Debussy, Ravel, and himself, entitled "French Rhapsody." Tickets here.
- Un Caffe Bar Comes Undone This Saturday
  
  After two years perched over Jiangning Lu, un Caffe Bar is closing down this weekend. Less known for its coffee and/or wine than their regular arts, crafts, community and nightlife events, it'll come as a blow to the eager beavers who're always texting us asking about venues to hold their event. A quick gander at their events list shows the Monthly Un'Market, a film screening, a live arts session from Atomic Sketch, and an Ancient Roman Murder Mystery Dinner. Versatility, thy name is Un. Closing party is on Saturday. The flyer looks like a subdued mental breakdown. All-day workshops, live music, 100rmb gets you three drinks.
- 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
  
  2
- 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
  
  1
- 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
MORE NEWS

Articles

ALL ARTICLES

WHAT’S ON

Today

25
Sun

26
Mon

27
Tue

28
Wed

29

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
Double Double

Monday is Double Double at Beef & Liberty, when their superior, purist patties on a bun (no lettuce or tomato here) come two-for-one from 3pm to close.

Dining | Beef & Liberty (Xiangyang Bei Lu)

Burger Burger

Buy one, get one free on burgers at long-time favorite Blue Frog, the Shanghai-born chain that's now spread far and wide across China. Big, fat American backyard burgers ...

Dining | Blue Frog (SWFC)

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 that you eat in and each guest has to buy a beverage. Only...

Dining | Brothers Kebab (People's Square)
Ghost in the Shell

It is the year 2029. Technology has advanced so far that cyborgs are commonplace. In addition, human brains can connect to the internet directly. Major Motoko Kasunagi is...

Community | The Pearl

Yoga For Life

Stay fit, balanced, and build awareness with yoga every Tuesday at Agora Space. Spots are limited, scan QR code to register. 50rmb for first timers, 100rmb after that.

Sports & Recreation | Agora Space

Mom2Mom Second-Hand Charity Bazaar

At this Mom2Mom Second Hand Sale, you can buy pre-loved and new kid’s clothes, shoes, strollers, child seats, toys, books and much more for low prices. Sellers and dono...

Community | Shanghai Racquet Club
John Jam Session

One of the city's longest-running jam sessions (ten years!) goes down every Wednesday from 9pm at Shanghai's house of funk and soul, Shake. This is a great night to hear ...

Nightlife | Shake

Lucca Open Mic

Qmmunity and Open Doors host an open mic where all forms of inclusive art are welcome. First time performers and story tellers are strongly encouraged. Sponsored by HUNT ...

Nightlife | Lucca

The Work That Reconnects

The ‘Work that Reconnects’ is a series of experiential practices pioneered by Joanna Macy drawn from systems theory, deep ecology, Buddhism, Indigenous wisdom and oth...

Community | WeWork (Hunan Lu)

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

24 May 2019

Scrapes a three-star review, but only because of its helpful menu

suzyd_ on TRIBE

Tribe has exactly the sort of menu you’d expect from a place called “Tribe”. The first page entices you with neither food nor drink, but a lengthy PHILOSOPHY. It starts with “Hey Fam”, which was great, because it meant that Skepta’s Man was then floating aro... Read more
24 May 2019

Tapas and live music in Xintiandi.

delfinash on Estado Puro

Estado Puro is the one and only spanish restaurant in Xintiandi, that is why it is always full, but it would be unfair not to mention that the food and the service are really good. The outdoor sitting is another plus. The menu has a wide range of tapas, cold or hot, paella, beef and a l... Read more
24 May 2019

Competent but pedestrian Italian

suzyd_ on Palatino

Palatino is a frustrating place to review. It's been open for five years now and, although it's well-established, it's showing its age. Every time I noted something really good, there was an imminent BUT. The pasta was good, but the sausage sauce was dry. They're not BADLY priced, but the... Read more