Curated, Opinionated Shanghai Living

News, updates, everything we've got...
- This Cafe Has a Live Alpaca (and 19 Other Animals)
  
  Cat cafe and dog cafes are adorable. But passé. Introducing Xin Qi Chong, a full-on zoo café in Baoshan with more than 20 types of animals, from alpaca to tarantula. Read on
- MØ Cancels April Show Due To "Health Problems"
  
  It's a curse! Eclectic Danish singer-songwriter MØ has had to cancel her Forever Neverland Asia Tour due to unspecified health problems. We've already started the refund process for your e-tickets (contact SmartTicket if you don't receive it by 6pm today). MØ started out in a rock and punk outfit called MOR, inspired by Black Flag, Nirvana and Sonic Youth, but soon shifted towards electronic music. For those of you who're like "Who's MØ? How do you even pronounce that?" she's the vocalist on DJ Snake & Major Lazer's "Lean On." Now you know.
- Crackdown on E-bike Riders As New Rules Approach
  
  You may have noticed an enhanced police presence at many busy junctions across town during the weekend. Yep, it’s crackdown season. Again. This one was focused on traffic misdemeanors and saw people caught for offenses such as bikes and scooters running red lights, having unregistered/no plates, illegally carrying a passenger, and even jaywalking. Read on
  
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- [Bun Cha Quest]: Danyi Gao's Serving Authentic Bun Cha in Lippo Plaza
  
  What's this we hear from a basement floor of a mall off Huaihai Lu? Danyi Gao has opened up Bun Cha Cha, dedicated to Hanoi's favorite dish? We dusted off our Vietnamese food expert, bought him lunch, and asked him what he thinks. Read on
- Where to See Peach and Cherry Blossoms Right Now
  
  You've probably seen Lay's peach and cherry flavored potato chips at convenience stores and wondered if they have gone crazy (again). Not this time. The city is so excited about pink flowers right now it would be crazy if Lay's didn't have them. One stat: last weekend, 260,000 visitors reportedly went to Gucun Park in Baoshan to check out the cherry blossom. They might have visited a bit early, however. Right about now is best for peach blossoms (until about April 9). Peach blossoms look like cherry blossoms but they help people with romantic relationships, according to feng shui principles. So, here are a few places where you can get some of that peach luck for your love life in 2019. Read on
- Three Rock Shows To Appreciate At The End of March
  
  Bunch of rock, rockish and rock-adjacent music coming to Shanghai at the end of March. Dark psychotic visual kei from HYDE, Chinese rock opera Liao Zhai Rocks! (with subtitles), and Omnium Gatherum, a six-piece melodic death metal band from Finland. Something for every flavor of rock fan. With ticketing links! Read on
- Bohemian Rhapsody, The Lego Movie 2 Hit Cinemas; Dumbo, Shazam! and More To Come
  
  We have a good mixture of biopic, fantasy, martial arts, and thrillers to wrap up the last weeks of March: two of the most earworm-inducing films we will have for a while, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Lego Movie 2, will be released on March 22, showcasing the awesomeness of one of the greatest bands in the world and one of the greatest toy companies in the world. Accompanying them is the Dutch comedy horror Prooi (Prey). Read on
- [5 Questions]: Bohan Phoenix, Crosscultural Chinese Rapper, Coming To Arkham This Thursday
  
  If you haven't heard of Bohan Phoenix, we did a Shanghai Famous on him, and picked JALA as the spiciest Chinese release of 2017. The Hubei-born, New-York-raised, recent returnee indie rapper is part of the rising tide of Chinese hip-hop artists carving out a niche in a busy, treacherous industry. He just dropped his new EP YAODE last night, and in anticipation of his Overseas Tour stop at Arkham on Thursday, we got in touch to ask about belonging, representation, appropriation and whether Chinese hip-hop is even a thing. Read on
- Snackpot: Do Cheetos, Chips and Lollipops Belong in Hotpot?
  
  The latest thing in the hotpot world is Snack Hotpot. A red hot hotpot innovation courtesy of one of China's biggest chains, Spice World Hot Pot, the formula goes something like this. Instant noodles, check. Chips, Cheetos, check. Hotpot, CHECK. Chocolate, White Rabbit candies, Lollipops, uhm… check? Let's see how this works out. Read on
- Building with Tomatito, El Ocho and Logan's Punch to Close - But When?
  
  More urban renovation news! F&B complex Zhangyuan 99, home to long-lived fan-favorites like Tomatito, el Ocho and Logan's Punch is going to be re-developed, and sooner rather than later. That's not news. The government has published its plans to redevelop the area into a shikumen playground far and wide. The entire neighborhood, one of the nicest remaining shikumen lane complexes that's dripping with history, is getting the redevelopment treatment as Jing'an Real Estate Group turns it into a commercial hub. They say almost all of the buildings will remain, but much like the residents, existing businesses are being told to move out. So what does that mean for the current tenants? It's unclear. When we spoke to Tomatito this morning, they said it could be "three months, six months, a year, with these things" but another tenant, in the same building, said it was pretty clear they would be gone around the end of April. Does anyone know for sure? Probably not. But what is clear is that these businesses, in their current incarnation anyway, are not long for this earth. Update: Security is now barricading the entrance to the compound, according to business owners, discouraging (but ultimately allowing) customers into the businesses.
  
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- Cobra Lily to Become Boxing Cat Brewery This Summer
  
  Grist for the rumor mill! Whispers in the night suggest that Cobra Lily, the fusion Chinese restaurant in Xintiandi from Lee Tseng and Kelly Lee (Boxing Cat Brewery), will be turned into an upscale flagship location of The Boxing Cat Brewery around the middle of this year. Lots going on with BCB these days! What with 45 Degrees closing quietly, and then rebranding the old Kaiba on Dingxi Lu into First Round, it looks like they're coming back after a short period of contractions. Renovations! Renewals! Rebirths. Go about your day.
  
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- Celebrate Global Recycling Day with a Green Rooftop Market
  
  Global Recycling Day, have you heard of it? Me neither. Apparently, it was created only a year ago. Shanghai has though and a bunch of really active eco-conscious brands and vendors — eco & more, Lizzy's, UseDem, Zero Waste Shanghai, Greenwave, and their friends — are hosting an open rooftop market at the WeWork on Taixing Lu to celebrate. There will be two workshops on sustainable lifestyle (from Zero Waste) and upcycling (from UseDem), plus discounted refills from eco&more (11am-5pm), BBQ, and music and beers from Goose Island. Click through to see the discounts given. Read on
- Where to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day This Weekend
  
  It's Ireland's turn on the global party rotation, and they are turning things green this weekend with St. Patrick's Day. Where to party, then? We've got 14 ideas about how to end up in a green fog by the end of Sunday evening. . A quick abridged version: Start on Saturday at The Rooster for 40rmb Jameson cocktails, move to Stone for raffle prizes and Irish beef stew, and end up at Hollywood to see what happens when you add beer deals and Irish folk music to club bangerz. On Sunday, make Blarney Stone your base (50rmb Guiness) and then venture out to Tacolicious (Jameson ginger for 35rmb), Big Bamboo (BOGO Irish car bombs) or The Blind Pig (same deal as Big Bamboo). To see all 14, click here.
- Three Shows in April for Kids (Aged 6-14) With Special Needs
  
  Shanghai Children's Art Theatre continues to turn its circular, immersive stage into a little island of decency and goodness. UK theater company Bamboozle is putting on three shows in April specifically adapted for children aged 6-14 with special needs (PMLD / ASC). Details and tickets after the jump. Read on
- End of the Queue: The Highway Pork Kebab
  
  Zhangfa Canyin is a small window that seems to draw daily queues, often blocking up an already cramped stretch of sidewalk on West Yan’an Road. It makes it hard to navigate the pavement on a Mobike when you’re in a rush to get to work on time. The reason for the ruckus? The sizeable skewers of meat streaming out of the window, and the alluring aromas that follow them. Read on
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HYDE

Japanese rock star Hideto Takarai, known exclusively by his stage name HYDE, first gained prominence in 1991 as the lead singer for L'Arc-en-Ciel, and for his prolific ou...

Nightlife | National Exhibition and Convention Center

Candor pres. 'Black Mirror'

A brand new Cabaret show with Dark Circus Experience — 'Black Mirror" — a tantalizing stage show about the demons that devour us. Don't miss out on this exciting ne...

Arts, Nightlife | Candor

Come Correct

The Come Correct Crew hosts the OG weekly hip hop and urban music night every Wednesday. Come Correct has been running since 2011 and has been a platform for many of the ...

Nightlife | Dada
The Soft Moon

An American post-punk band from Oakland, The Soft Moon is a solo project launched by producer, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Luis Vasquez in 2009. Described as d...

Nightlife | Modern Sky Lab

Candor pres. 'Black Mirror'

A brand new Cabaret show with Dark Circus Experience — 'Black Mirror" — a tantalizing stage show about the demons that devour us. Don't miss out on this exciting ne...

Arts, Nightlife | Candor

Girls Night Out

Girls Night Out, with a lucky draw, free manicures for women from 9.30-11.30pm and complimentary cocktails. Free entry for everyone until 12.30am with password MVP.

Nightlife | Bar Rouge
Mixmag pres. Darren Emerson

Techno innovator - Underworld originator - Underwater and Detone label boss - Darren Emerson has remained at the forefront of electronica, techno and house across the las...

Nightlife | Celia by Pulse

Welcome to Las Vegas

DJ Antyflex on the decks taking the journey all the way from Nevada to Shanghai; stay calm and party all night because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 150rmb.

Nightlife | Bar Rouge

Antidote presents Andy Smith

Andy Smith has been DJing as a hobby since 1979. Became a professional DJ in 1995 when he was asked to be the DJ and sample-producer for the band Portishead. Andy Smith w...

Nightlife | Dada
Mucha

This is the first-ever presentation of the Mucha Family Collection in China, and the exhibition will feature over 200 original works of art by the celebrated Czech artist...

Arts | Pearl Art Museum

ALL EVENTS

GALLERIES

- March 23, 2019
  
  FIESTA
  
  @ Bar Rouge
- March 16, 2019
  
  DJ Gregor Salto
  
  @ Bar Rouge
- March 16, 2019
  
  MVP Pervert Party
  
  @ M1NT
- March 2, 2019
  
  S.T.D. pres. Masego
  
  @ Arkham
- March 2, 2019
  
  Karneval 2019
  
  @ Zeitgeist
- 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

25 Mar 2019

Killer beef and sesame noodles, food court-style

MichaelRussam on JYJ Noodle Bar (IAPM)

It’s not often that I find myself dropping RMB 80 on a bowl of noodles. It’d be plain wrong of me to say that these dishes aren’t worth spending money on, but Shanghai has such a smorgasbord of great value, epically delicious bowls that I’ve never really found the need ... Read more
25 Mar 2019

Czech In and Czech-ed OUT

eatingglace on Bohemia

Here’s the low-down on the latest action-

The Beef: In the form of goulash. Which was a rather disappointing “best of the worst dish”.

As part of my zealous commitment to great foodie journalism, I brought along my Czech friend to evaluate the... Read more
25 Mar 2019

The Smokehouse aka The Cannery

globaltraveller on The Cannery

Not wishing to venture too far on a mid-week catch up with a couple of friends, we decided to meet halfway, and I suggested The Cannery, which I have since renamed The Smoke House on Yuyuan Lu, more of that later.

After squeezing through the s... Read more