As a reaction to the perceived commercialism of Shanghai's Bund nightlife, ritzy lounges and larger dance clubs, a few select, smaller, grungier venues have carved a niche in the market, catering to a new class of "discerning" expat and Chinese clubbers. These bars and clubs are almost always music-orientated, and a given party is usually focused around a particular genre of dance/electronic, depending on the independent or in-house promoter throwing the party. The two standard-setting venues for what can provisionally be termed the "underground" scene in Shanghai are The Shelter and Dada, both of which have embraced the local independent promoter/DJ crew scene. The larger of the two, The Shelter, takes cues from a UK, no-frills basement club, and is always fairly packed on weekends. The Shelter hosts DJs and MCs from the electronic/dance/hip hop/funk spectrum. Monthly one-offs go down almost every weekend, and international bookings of cutting-edge and experimental performers are frequent. Club bookers closely follow dance music trends in the West, and if you're looking for a place to hear the latest stuff, The Shelter is your best bet. In addition to their larger weekend parties, check out their weekly events, which cater to people looking for niche and emerging genres -- dubstep, electro, drum n bass, and offshoots. Conversely, Dada bar, more of a party/lounge atmosphere, is also a home for independent Shanghai DJs throwing their own events. On weekends, you can expect a younger, mixed crowd enjoying house, techno, disco, electro-styled events, but they also do more relaxed theme nights: cheeky 80s parties, goth nights, hip hop stuff and more. Prices are cheap and it's a trendy little place. A home for the Chinese alternative clubber is Anar bar, and you might want to swing by there as well if you're looking for something different. In recent months, Anar has been pretty much the only venue in town consistent with offering what they term, "World Music", which is folk / traditional from all over China and beyond. Live performances are frequent.

Another recent addition catering to the "alternative" demographic in Shanghai is Lune, which comes to us from the same management as erstwhile Shanghai's favourite dive club, LOgO. Lune in its current manifestation makes overtures to a lounge demographic, although their recent bookings would dictate otherwise, and you can often find independent promoters and local bands hosting their nights therein. And lastly, looking along music-orientated lines, one more suggestion is club/lounge Lola, which caters to a well-dressed, well-moneyed expat and Chinese crowd, although it's pretty music-minded with techno, house, and nu disco events.

As independent promoters and DJs forge out new grounds, other venues around town have at times played host to their parties, including Shanghai's favorite dive bar C's and a Dongping Lu lounge/ club called Not Me.

SmartShanghai lists weekly, monthly and one-off events at all the aforementioned venues. Click here to be re-directed to our Events Listings.

Final Thought: No trip to Shanghai is complete without a visit to I Love Shanghai for a few, so make sure you slot that in on your list as well. Tell bar owner Jeff we said hi.

Read On: The local scene - KTV's and "Chinese" clubbing in Shanghai »

Pub Life

As an alternate to the thump-thump-thump intensity of Shanghai's clubs, Shanghai's pub/bar scene is fairly well-developed in terms of offering a few long-established staple pubs and an interesting mix of more idiosyncratic dives and bars. The city caters to the pub crowd quite well, in the form of the standard UK and American imports. Shanghai is home to a large demographic of older expats who shun the club scene, but nevertheless enjoy knocking back pints on the weekend. Bars and pubs in Shanghai are, generally, separated by country genres and the type of clientele that frequent them. In terms of the classic British pub, Oscar's on Hengshan in a safe bet, as is the Bulldog. Also in that area is the Blarney Stone, The Beaver and Abbey Road, all of which are fine for pints. If you're looking for a sports bar, the Big Bamboo on Tongren Lu is the reigning king of all things sports-related, Windows Scoreboard is a time-honored favourite of the student pub crowd, and you've also got Malone's, for an American slant. We also recommend The Chalet -- younger crowd in this small bar/lounge, lapping up cheap drinks. A new-comer is the Tam 'o'Shanter, on Yongjia Lu and right next to it is the Rhumerie Bounty, a French rum bar that's packed out on the weekends with a hard-drinking international crowd.

And lastly, Cotton's -- two locations of that -- both boasting a leafy, green patio and a redone colonial house at both venues is a consistent favourite with Shanghai's expat crowd looking for a relaxed drinking evening with friends or dates.

Jing'an Drinks on Kangding

The Jing'an District in north Shanghai, north of Jing'an Temple to be specific, is Shanghai's largest residential area, although in terms of nightlife, both the former French Concession and The Bund districts dwarf it in terms of nightlife options. An expansion off Kangding Lu, however -- at 528 Kangding Lu -- is home to a number of great spots for pub / lounge drinking. Therein ye shall find hole-in-the-wall Crocus -- raucous, student crowd on the weekends, Kaiba, a Belgian beer bar offering Shanghai's best beer selection, and Cuvee, a great, little neighbourhood wine lounge. Seek out this area if you up for drinks and want to keep it in Jing'an.