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When we're not serving as Shanghai's most dedicated and tireless source for brunches and brunch-related issues, SmartShanghai occasionally writes about other things. These are the best things we wrote about in 2016. Or sometimes the subject matter is the worst, but the article came out wonderful all the same. Thanks to Sacco, Frances, Chris, and all the freelance contributors. Shouts to Ian for steering the good ship SmSh in 2016.
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January

[Offbeat]: Ice Kingdom, Eternal Dynasty
Cold as ice. Checking out The Rat King's winter entertainment zone near the Benz Arena, which is actually pretty alright.
[Tested]: Lin Qu - A Crowdsourced Personal Courier
So you're so damn lazy and can't be arsed to go pick up your dry cleaning from down on the corner -- hey, there's an APP for that.
[Undercurrents]: Swimful, The Dude Making Beats Out In Qingpu District
Tripping out to the edge of town to catch up with Shanghai producer Swimful. His record 'PM2.5' drops this weekend.
February

Gadget Porn: Maywa Genki's 'Nonsense Machines'
A tour through the wacky mechanical musical world of Maywa Genki's 'Nonsense Machines', an exhibition now on at Shanghai Ming Contemporary.
[In Focus]: CNY Party At The South Railway Station
Journey to the Southside; riding the slow train to somewhere; taking some photos.
[In Focus]: Lantern Festival At Yu Garden
Shining a neon light on 5000 years of history at the annual Yu Garden Lantern Festival spectacular.
Outsourced: Your CNY Stories 2016
Some wild Chinese New Year stories straight from our readers. Tales of dogs, danger, dismemberment, and destruction!
[Outbound]: How I Spent My CNY: Burma Boating
A trip around the 800 islands in the Mergui Archipelago, a far less traveled part of Myanmar.
[Tested]: Using Apple Pay In China
We spent the day testing Apple Pay at McDonald's, Family Mart, and 7-11. Here's what works, what doesn't, and some predictions.
March

Overnight Drunk: Nine "Hidden Bars" In Shanghai
Behind bookshelves and phone booths, inside office buildings and furniture stores... Entering passwords and drinking dog dicks...
A Luncheon Date at Hello Kitty Bistro Bianco
Huge Hello Kitty fan tests out the Hello Kitty Bistro Bianco, creeps on some people on WeChat. News at 11pm.
[How To]: Get a Dog License In China
If you've got a dog, you gotta get them legal, for many reasons. This is how.
[Eat It]: Luxury Crab Noodles
Is a 360rmb bowl of noodles a spiritual mission or extreme selfishness?
[In-Depth]: The Ultimate Guide To Health Insurance In China
We've got you covered, so you can get covered.
Design Shanghai 2016: The Good, The Bad, And The Tacky
Highs and lows from "Asia's Biggest Design Showcase."
April

Sacco's Steaming Hot Alternative Date Spots in Shanghai
The doctor is IN. SmSh's love and romance expert elucidates five alternative dating destination for couples to rekindle the spark in Shanghai.
Joel Robuchon Opens in Shanghai. Does It Matter?
On celebrity chefs and a 5,000rmb dinner.
I Waited in Line for 75 Minutes for this Ice Cream Cone
...And all I got was this article and a damn ice cream cone.
[Outbound]: A Simple 48 Hours in Dalian
The insider's run-through of the port city of Dalian -- cocktail bars, local restaurants, libraries, and the great outdoors.
Fantastic Voyage: The Happy New World Happy Slide
Slide, slide, slippity slide -- SmartShanghai tried out that big slide in that mall in Pudong.
May

Snakes, Dicks, Bees, Ants, Whatever: A Taste Test of Baijiu Infusions
SmSh went and drank all the penis baijius. This one's going to get a little TV-MA, just warning you.
(At Least) 5 Lessons From Shanghai's Biggest "Festival Weekend"
Knowledge gems gleaned from the spectacles of Strawberry Festival, Boiler Room, JZ Spring, and more.
[Tested]: The Mobike
We take the new Shanghai city bikes that you can rent with an app for a spin.
[The List]: Housing Scams and Nightmares
Tales of fraud, deceit, deception, double-dealing, graft, chicanery -- and straight-up getting ripped off -- when endeavoring to find a home in Shanghai.
Oh You KNOW We Went to That Wrestling Thing
We sent Def-Jon. Pictures and a recap of Shanghai's first CWF pro-wrestling event last Sunday. It looks pretty fantastic.
The Freak Opera of Asian Dope Boys
SmSh speaks to club collective Asian Dope Boys ahead of their show Saturday night at Arkham.
[Outbound]: Zhejiang’s Hiking Network
China’s first national hiking route. 500 km of trails through the mountains.
June

[Deadbeat Dad]: Give It Up for Fathers Giving Things Up
Surprise, surprise, new father comes out with huge support for the concept of Father's Day. Deadbeat Dad shows love to his own non-deadbeat dad.
5 Awful, Weird, Fantastic Apps That You Will Likely Still Download
...And you will definitely not be disappointed! We're talking upwards of 3 solid minutes of enjoyment here.
[How To]: Get Rid of Your Unwanted Stuff Responsibly
Where to donate and recycle things that you no longer want.
Requiem for the Token White: Behind the Scenes on a Chinese TV Shoot
Tales from the white guy actor circuit. 500rmb and a pretty good anecdote off the port bow.
[Outbound]: Shanghai Has A Beach! A Journey To Jinshan
Taking Metro Line 22 south to the beach for some BBQ, volleyball, fishing, and vibes.
July

A Whole New World: Touring the 'International Princesses' Show in Pudong
Tell me, Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?
Watching Uncut Films at Shanghai's Biggest Private Cinema
An escape from bad manners and unlicensed love shacks.
[In Focus]: China Joy 2016
The big gaming / cos-play / anime / supernerd convention is back in Pudong all weekend. We went early.
[Offbeat]: Shanghai's Oldest Theme Park has a Night Market
Headed to the Southside for cheap thrills, cheap beer, and a lot of neon.
Yeah… So About That Whole Slide the City Thing
Faaaaaantastic voyage! Slide the City opens in Pudong! Here's how that whole thing is.
Bar Crawling Yongkang Lu for Answers
Drinking for THE TRUTH. Last night, SmSh ran roughshod on Yongkang Lu asking anyone and anything about the fate of Shanghai’s beloved bar street. Are they closing down? And whose round is this?
August

Shanghai Tower: The World's Highest Observation Deck Is Now Open
Started from the bottom now we here. SmSh takes a trip up Shanghai's new tallest building ever.
Wasted Westside: A Bar Crawl on Xianxia Lu
Adventure time: SmSh takes a spin down Japanese strip of BBQ and depravity, Xianxia Lu. Moshi mosh!
[Offbeat]: A Trip to the Dog Swimming Pool
There's a resort for dogs out in Pudong. Their owners can come too.
September

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower Now Has a VR Roller Coaster In It Seriously
And many other strange and wondrous things! Just in time for the holidays, here's SmSh's recommended points of interest in the OPTV Tower.
The Star Trek Exhibition Is Rad, Sweet
"A dream that became a reality and spread throughout the stars." SmSh does an away mission to the newly opened 'Star Trek: The Exhibition' thing.
[Outbound]: Nanjing's Usnisa Palace
Seeking the divine in the modern age. A tour of Nanjing's 4 billion RMB Buddhist palace.
[Offbeat]: High Jinks And High Jumps At This Massive Trampoline Park
Have you ever wanted to fly like Mike? Do mid-air somersaults like Donnie Yen? Do Matrix stuff like... everybody in The Matrix?
October

[Outbound]: Hiking In The Clouds In Sanqingshan
Wandering around a sacred Taoist mountain park in Jiangxi Province, just a few hours from Shanghai.
I Was Buried ALIVE in Shanghai
Just in time for Halloween here’s a possibly scary spa treatment to help you align your qi for the season.
[People vs. Food]: Pole Dancer Jessica Tara vs. N2 Extreme Gelato
A new series in which we talk to the interesting people of Shanghai... while getting them to eat strange and wonderful things.
Furniture Shops in Shanghai
For those willing to invest more on long-lasting, unique pieces of furniture, we would like to introduce you to some of the most famous and lesser known furniture stores in the city...
Art Review: Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou
The Pompidou pops up in Shanghai, bringing with it art world legends and Parisian je ne sais quoi...
November

[Seen & Overheard]: Sights and Sounds from an American Election in Shanghai
More like a "season finale" for the whole world, right?
[Back of the Queue]: Ada's BBC-Famous Scallion Pancakes
SmSh lines up (kinda) for the latest sensation to hit Shanghai's street food scene. A pancakes story 30 years in the making.
What You Need To Know About International Schools In Shanghai
Education 101: SmSh outlines the lay of the land of Shanghai's international education system -- here are the basics on getting your kids schooled in the city.
DIY Xu Zhen: Make Your Own MadeIn
SmSh tries out artist Xu Zhen's Under Heaven painting workshop... and checks out his studio store.
[Seen & Overheard]: The Twerk Cup
Twerk something! Do the ladies rule this...? Presenting, the sights and sounds of Shanghai's first Twerk Cup.
December

[People Vs. Food]: Split Works Vs. Hello Kitty Hot Pot
Just in time for the season it's the Hello Kitty Hot Pot restaurant! Newly open on Sinan Lu. We took Split Works there! Meow!
Seriously, You Should Really Go See ‘Sleep No More’
SmartShanghai experiences Sleep No More. It's... wow. Yeah, we'll go with "wow".
Art and Facts of The Shelter
Show-and-Tell with Shanghai's favorite underground club. Shelter manager Gaz shows us all the wonderful junk he's saved over 9 years of parties in a basement.
The Future of Shanghai: Major Urban Developments in 2017
In the eyes of city developers, the Shanghai you are experiencing right now hasn’t reached its full potential -- maybe not for another twenty years
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Thanks for reading!